Q3 ACTIVITY 3.17 Which feels colder?

Objective
In this activity, you should be able to describe heat transfer by conduction and compare the heat
conductivities of materials based on their relative coldness.
Materials Needed

 small pieces of different objects (copper/silver coin, paper, aluminum foil, iron nail, etc.)

 laboratory thermometer

Procedure
Part A: To be performed one day ahead.

1. Place a laboratory thermometer inside the freezer of the refrigerator.

2. Place also your sample objects inside the freezer at the same time. Leave them inside the
freezer overnight.

Part B: To be performed the next day.

3. Take the temperature reading from the thermometer inside the freezer.

Q1. What is the temperature reading inside the freezer?

Q2. If ever there is a way to measure also the temperature of the objects placed inside the
freezer, how do you think will their temperature compare with each other and with the
temperature reading from the thermometer?

4. Touch one object lightly with your finger and feel it.
Q3. Did heat transfer take place between your finger and the object? If yes, how and in what
direction did heat transfer between them?
Q4. Did you feel the object cold? What made it so? (Relate this to your answer in Q3.)

5. Touch the rest of the objects inside the freezer using different fingers, then observe.

Q5. Did the objects feel equally cold? What does this tell us about the amount of heat
transferred when you touch each object?
Q6. Which among the objects feels ‘coldest’? Which feels ‘warmest’?
Q7. Which among the objects is the best conductor of heat? Which object is the poorest
conductor of heat?