Question

Priya gas to choose between silver and copper vessels for heating. You would suggest Priya to prefer:
A. a copper vessel because it is a better conductor of heat
B. a copper vessel because it is not a conductor of electricity but a good conductor of heat
C. a silver vessel because it is a better conductor of heat than copper
D. none of these because they are non-conductor of heat.

Answer 1

We know that the symbol of silver is $Ag$ and the symbol of copper is $Cu$. For heating purposes, we need the vessel to be a very good conductor of heat so that the efficiency is high and no heat energy is wasted.

Complete step by step solution:
In the given question Priya is going to choose between silver and copper vessels for heating. Silver has the highest thermal conductivity among all the metals. Copper has the second highest thermal conductivity. Silver is a good conductor of heat than the copper because the electron can move more freely in silver as compared to the copper. The thermal conductivity of silver is higher than that of the copper. So, from the above explanation it is clear to us that silver is a better conductor of heat than copper.

Hence, the correct answer of the given question is option: C. a silver vessel because it is a better conductor of heat than copper.

Additional information:
The atomic number of copper is $29$. The atomic number of silver is 47. The mass number of copper is $63.5$. The mass number of silver is $107.8$ . Silver has the ability to form ready form alloys with gold, copper and zinc. Copper and silver both are good conductors of electricity. Substances which cannot conduct electricity are known as insulators.

Note:
Always remember that for heating purposes we should always prefer a vessel with a higher conductivity of heat. Silver has the highest conductivity of heat followed by copper and aluminium. Silver has the lowest level of contact resistance.