Conduction notes 25/12/2017 1/5

Ways of Heat Transfer --- Conduction

Ways of heat transfer
• Convection
• Conduction
• Radiation

Conduction
• When you use a pan to cook food, heat is transferred to the pan and to the food
through direct contact  Conduction

• Molecules in two bodies have the same average KE  same temperature

Experiment 1: Heat transfer along a metal rod

• Attach several drawing pins onto a copper rod with a wax
coating
• Heat one end of the metal rod, what happens to the pins?
 Pins drop one by one starting with the one closest to the
heat source
 Heat is transferred from a region of higher temperature to
lower temperature

Experiment 2: The ability to conduct heat of different materials

• Put a wooden rod, an iron rod, a copper rod and a glass rod into
a beaker of hot water
• Feel the ends of the rods, which rod gets hot first?
• The copper rod gets hot first, followed by the iron rod. The glass
rod and wooden rod does not get hot.
Conduction notes 25/12/2017 2/5

Experiment 3: Conduction of water

• With a piece of wire gauze, keep the ice under water in a
boiling tube
• Gently heat the middle of the tube and observe the ice
• The water at the top of the tube boils but the ice at the
bottom of the tube has not melted and remains cool

Experiment 4: Conduction of air

• Hold a match very close to a Bunsen flame. Put another
match near the top of the Bunsen flame
• Do the matches light up?
• The match close to the Bunsen flame light up but the match
near the top of the Bunsen flame does not light up
• Air is a poor conductor (The match near the top of the flames
light up because of convection)

Definition of Conduction

Conduction is the transfer to heat from the hot part to the cold part
of an object, or from a hot object to a cold object in contact with
each other. Energy (but not matter) is transferred in the process.

• Conduction is independent of orientation

 The two identical metal rods heated at one end will heat up at the
same rate

Conductors and Insulators

• Different materials conduct materials at different rates
• Conduction occurs not only in solids but also in liquids and gases
• Metals are good conductors of heat
 Their atoms and molecules have a lot of free electrons
 Silver is the best conductor, followed by copper
 Conducts heat much faster than non-metals
• Non-metals are poor conductors of heat, or insulators
 Heat is conducted very slowly, only molecule by molecule
 Liquid and gases are poor conductors in general as their molecules are
weakly linked, e.g. air and water (better than air)
 Some materials like wool and plastic foam can keep things warm due to air
trapped inside them
 Solids that are poor conductors: plastic, wood, glass, etc.
 Good conductor Poor conductor (insulator) 

diamond silver copper steel glass water wood foam air

2000 430 400 16 1 0.6 0.2 0.03 0.02
Conduction notes 25/12/2017 3/5

Examples of conduction and insulation

Maintaining temperature
• Animals can keep themselves warm by insulation
 Having a layer of fat beneath skin
 Having hair or feather that traps air
• Both air and fat are poor conductors of heat
 Energy is conducted away from the body slowly they can keep warm
• E.g. down jackets and woollen blankets keep us warm in winter
 These methods DO NOT generate heat
 The feathers and wool trap air and are good insulators and can reduce heat
loss

Cooking
• Cooking utensils are usually made of metal
 Heat can be transferred from the stove to the food effectively
• Handles are usually made of poor conductors
 Allows us to grasp the handle without getting burnt
• Chinese clay pot: clay is a poor conductor
 Conduct heat away slowly
 Keeps food hot/boiling for a while after heating
• Foam is used make food containers due to its excellent insulating property
 The holes in the foam trap a lot of air, which is a poor conductor
 Maintain temperature of food
 Easier to hold the container for a longer time

Why do we feel cold?

• At the same temperature, a metal surface feels colder than a wooden surface
• Metal conducts energy away faster  feels colder
• Condition: body temperature must be higher than metal temperature

Microscopic view of conduction

• All matter is made up of atoms in the particle model
• In solids, atoms are closely packed together and vibrate about their fixed positions
• When one part of a solid is heated, the atoms there vibrate faster
• Collisions between atoms takes place in all solids during conduction
Conduction notes 25/12/2017 4/5

• The rate of energy transfer by this process is relatively low depending on the forces
between atoms
• In metals, the collision process involves electrons
• Loosely held outermost electrons can move freely among atoms  free electrons

Why are metals good conductors?

• When one part of the metal is heated:
• Free electrons there move faster and collide with neighbouring atoms and electrons
 Pass on energy efficiently ∵loosely held
 Very high rate of conduction of metals
• Hence metal is a good conductor of heat

Rate of conduction in liquids

• In liquids, molecules are closely packed but in an irregular manner
• Vibration of molecules in the hotter part cannot induce vibration of neighbouring
molecules effectively
• Hence liquids have very low rates of conduction

Rate of conduction in gases

• In gases, gas molecules are very far apart
• Faster molecules are less likely to collide with other
molecules
• Hence gases are the poorest conductor i.e. the best
insulators

Factors affecting the rate of conduction

• Material
 Solids, liquids, or gases
 Metals or non-metals
• Temperature difference (T – T’)
 Heat conducts away from the body faster
when the temperature difference is large
 The larger the temperature difference, the higher the rate of heat transfer by
conduction
• Length l
 The length between the body and the surrounding air
 The longer the length, the lower the rate of heat transfer by conduction
• Cross-sectional area A
 Cross-sectional area of the rod connecting the two bodies
 The larger the area, the higher the rate of heat transfer by conduction
Conduction notes 25/12/2017 5/5

Classwork
1. Which of the following statements about conduction is/are correct?
A. Energy is transferred from the hot end to the cold end along a body
B. When a metal bar is heated, atoms at the hot end vibrate more vigorously
C. The fast-moving atoms at the hot end of a solid move to the cold end
Ans: A. ✓ B.✓ C. 
2. May puts two identical thermometer X and Y in boiling water for a while. Then she
takes them out and wraps X with a piece of fur. Which of the following is true?
A. Reading of X increases slowly
B. Reading of X remains constant
C. Reading of X drops slower than that of Y
D. Reading of X drops faster than that of Y
Ans: C
3. A cup sleeve on a takeaway hot drink can help us not to get burnt easily.
(a) Explain how the cup sleeve helps avoid getting burnt.
(b) What would happen if the cup sleeve gets wet accidentally?
Ans:
(a) Air is present in the holes of the paper sleeve and it is a poor conductor so the
heat will not conduct quickly to our hands and burn us. Also, when the air is
heated, it will rise and leave the paper sleeve while cold air replaces it. Hence,
heat is not trapped.
(b) Water will fill the holes and replace the air. The cup sleeve will then feel hot
after some time. As the water is trapped within the paper sleeve and cannot
leave, the heat can conduct through the water and we will feel hot. Also, it is a
better conductor than air, so more heat will be trapped and we will feel hot.
4. Which of the following statements about conduction is/are correct?
A. Metal does not conduct heat through the collisions between atoms
B. The more free electrons the metal has, the higher its conduction rate
C. Conduction occurs in metal effectively because the atoms are loosely held
Ans: A.  B.✓ C. 