English

Thermal conductivity through the nineteenth century

History and Philosophy of Physics 2015-05-18 v1

Abstract

As a material property and as a metaphor, thermal conductivity occupies an important position in physical, biological and geological sciences. Yet, its precise measurement is dependent on using electricity as a proxy because flowing heat cannot directly be measured.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1005.2119,
  title  = {Thermal conductivity through the nineteenth century},
  author = {T. N. Narasimhan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1005.2119},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

Submitted to Physics Today. 4,500 words, 4 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-21T15:22:00.225Z