Conduction how does it work

An experiment can be used to investigate which metal is the best conductor of heat. It involves some long thin strips of different metals eg steel, aluminium and copper , wax, drawing pins and a Bunsen burner. The fastest time shows the best conductor of heat. Variables that affect the time taken for the drawing pins to fall include the distance they are from the flame and the thickness of the metal. If you have controlled all of these variables, you should find that copper conducts better than aluminium, while aluminium conducts better than steel.

Conduction Heat is thermal energy. Conduction in metals The electrons in a piece of metal can leave their atoms and move about in the metal as free electrons. Liquid water has a partially ordered structure in which hydrogen bonds are constantly being formed and breaking up.

Because of the short time scale on the order of a few picoseconds few bonds What is temperature? From the video above that shows movement of atoms and molecules it can be seen that some move faster than others. Temperature is an average value of energy for all the atoms and molecules in a given system. Temperature is independent of how much matter there is in the system. It is simply an average of the energy in the system. Heat can travel from one place to another in three ways: Conduction, Convection and Radiation.

Both conduction and convection require matter to transfer heat. If there is a temperature difference between two systems heat will always find a way to transfer from the higher to lower system. Conduction is the transfer of heat between substances that are in direct contact with each other.

The better the conductor, the more rapidly heat will be transferred. Metal is a good conduction of heat. Conduction occurs when a substance is heated, particles will gain more energy, and vibrate more. These molecules then bump into nearby particles and transfer some of their energy to them. This then continues and passes the energy from the hot end down to the colder end of the substance.

The rate of energy transfer by conduction is higher when there is a large temperature difference between the substances that are in contact. Think of a frying pan set over an open camp stove. The fire's heat causes molecules in the pan to vibrate faster, making it hotter. These vibrating molecules collide with their neighboring molecules, making them also vibrate faster.

As these molecules collide, thermal energy is transferred via conduction to the rest of the pan. If you've ever touched the metal handle of a hot pan without a potholder, you have first-hand experience with heat conduction! Some solids, such as metals, are good heat conductors. Not surprisingly, many pots and pans have insulated handles.