Copper greater strength than monocrystalline forms. The softness of copper partly explains its high electrical conductivity (59.6×10 S/m) and high thermal conductivity, second highest (second only to silver) among pure metals at room temperature. This is because the resistivity to electron transport in metals at room temperature originates primarily from scattering of electrons on thermal vibrations of the lattice, which are relatively weak in a soft metal. The maximum permissible current density of copper in open air is approximately 3.1×10 A/m of cross-sectional area, above which it begins to heat excessively. Copper is one of a few metallic elements with a
Thermal conductivity reciprocal of thermal conductivity is called thermal resistivity. The general equation for thermal conductivity is formula_1, where formula_2 is the heat flux, formula_3 is the thermal conductivity and formula_4 is the temperature gradient. In the International System of Units (SI), thermal conductivity is measured in watts per meter-kelvin (W/(m⋅K)). Some papers report in watts per centimeter-kelvin (W/(cm⋅K)). In imperial units, thermal conductivity is measured in BTU/(hr⋅ft⋅°F). The dimension of thermal conductivity is MLTΘ, expressed in terms of the dimensions mass (M), length (L), time (T), and temperature (Θ). Other units which are closely related to the thermal conductivity are in