Conduction
Physics: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 2.3.1
Conduction
Heat energy can move through a solid by conduction. We can show this in 2 ways:
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Water
- An ice cube is at one end of a test tube and water is at the other end of a test tube.
- We can boil the water at one end without the ice cube melting.
- This shows that water is a poor conductor of heat energy.
- We say that water is a bad thermal conductor.
Metal rods
- Different metals conduct heat energy at different rates.
- We place metals in boiling water at one end and put wax on the other end.
- The wax that melts fastest will be attached to the metal that is the best thermal conductor.
- Copper is a better thermal conductor than aluminium and iron.
Test yourself on Conduction
Which of the following are true of water?
Which of the following is the best thermal conductor?
How can you show water to be a poor thermal conductor?
Which of the following are true of metals?
Suggest why plastic materials aren’t as good conductors of heat as metals.