Question

Although copper heat sinks achieve better performance than aluminum heat sinks, aluminum heat sinks are more commonly used.

Give at least two reasons for this and provide a brief explanation for each. Cite any sources used.

Answer 1

Aluminum heat sinks are more commonly used than copper heat sinks due to their lower cost and lighter weight, despite copper's superior heat dissipation performance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Although copper heat sinks provide better performance in dissipating heat compared to aluminum heat sinks, there are at least two reasons aluminum heat sinks are more commonly used:

Cost: Aluminum is significantly less expensive than copper, which makes aluminum heat sinks more cost-effective for mass production and widely used in various applications.

Weight: Aluminum is also lighter than copper, which makes it easier to handle and less costly to transport. This weight difference is especially important in applications where heavier components could be detrimental or impractical, such as in consumer electronics.

These factors contribute to the favor of aluminum over copper for heat sinks, despite copper's superior thermal conduction properties.