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Two infinitely long rods, copper and aluminum.

a) Both rods have the same thermal conductivity
b) The copper rod has higher thermal conductivity than the aluminum rod
c) The aluminum rod has higher thermal conductivity than the copper rod
d) Thermal conductivity of the rods depends on their lengths

User Parixit
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Final answer:

The question pertains to the comparison of thermal conductivity between copper and aluminium rods, where typically copper has a higher thermal conductivity than aluminium. Thermal conductivity is an intrinsic property that does not depend on the length of the material.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is related to the concept of thermal conductivity and its comparison between two different materials, copper and aluminium. Thermal conductivity is a material property that describes the ability of the material to conduct heat. It is an important factor in determining the rate at which heat will transfer through a material. In general, metals like copper and aluminium are known to be good conductors of heat. When assessing the thermal conductivity of two infinitely long rods, we do not concern ourselves with the length of the rods since thermal conductivity is an intrinsic property and does not depend on length. The copper rod typically has a higher thermal conductivity than the aluminium rod, meaning under identical conditions, heat will flow through copper more readily than aluminium. This is reflected in the thermal conductivities typically cited for these materials: copper around 390 W/m.K and aluminium around 205 W/m.K. To answer the specific parts of the question: a) Both rods do not have the same thermal conductivity; b) The copper rod generally has higher thermal conductivity than the aluminium rod; c) It is not common for the aluminium rod to have higher thermal conductivity than the copper rod; d) The thermal conductivity of the rods does not depend on their lengths.

User Ed Harrod
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