Understanding K
K, known as thermal conductivity, is a property of materials that indicates their ability to conduct heat. The units of K are crucial for understanding heat transfer.
Unit Analysis of Options
- Option A: Wm-2K-1
- This unit represents watts per square meter per Kelvin, typically used for heat transfer per unit area, not for thermal conductivity.
- Option B: WmK
- This unit suggests watts per meter Kelvin, which does not correctly express the relationship of heat transfer through a material.
- Option C: Wm-1K-1
- This is the correct unit for thermal conductivity. It represents watts per meter per Kelvin, indicating how much heat (in watts) can pass through a meter of the material for every degree of temperature difference (in Kelvin).
- Option D: Wm-1K-2
- This unit indicates watts per meter per Kelvin squared, which does not correspond to thermal conductivity and is not relevant in this context.
Conclusion
K = Wm-1K-1 signifies that for every meter of material, how effectively it conducts heat is measured against a temperature difference. Understanding this unit is essential for applications in engineering and physics, especially in thermal management and insulation design. Thus, option C is the correct answer for the units of K.