3.2.26

Thermal Energy & Conduction

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Thermal energy

The movement of thermal energy (heat) occurs when there is a difference in temperature. This transfer of energy can occur through one of three methods.

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Movement of thermal energy

  • Thermal energy (heat) occurs when there is a difference in temperature
  • It moves through one of three processes – either conduction, convection, or radiation
  • Remember heat does not move up. Heat can flow in any direction as long as it is from a hotter temperature to a colder temperature.
  • Hot air flows upwards
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Heat vs temperature

  • Heat measures how much thermal energy an object has and is measured in Joules
  • Temperature is a measurement of how hot something is and is measured in °C
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Conduction

  • Conduction occurs in solids. A conductor allows thermal energy to be transferred easily.
  • A material which does not allow thermal energy to be transferred easily is called an insulator.
  • Metals are normally very good conductors. Air is a poor conductor (insulator).
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Conduction in practice

  • You might have experienced conduction when you have held a snowball in your hand.
    • Your hand conducts energy to the snowball and so it melts.
  • Another example is leaving a metal poker in a fire, eventually it becomes too hot to touch. Or when your feet get hot when walking on the sand on a tropical beach.
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Exploring conduction

  • You can see conduction in action if you attach pins to a retort stand with wax and heat one end. Eventually, the wax will melt and the pins will drop.
  • You can investigate which metal (independent variable) will conduct heat the fastest with this method. In some cases the metal may even melt before the wax!
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Conduction in the real world

  • Have you ever left a spoon in the cup you make a cup of tea? And the spoon heats up?
    • The spoon is made of metal
    • The metal is made up of atoms (or ions) but are able to vibrate
    • The boiling hot water transfers thermal energy from the boiling water to the colder metal spoon
    • The atoms gain energy and so start to vibrate faster
    • These vibrations are transferred to its neighbouring atoms
    • Eventually the tip of the spoon will become hot to the touch

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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