CHAPTER 6 (PHYSICS)

FLOW OF HEAT
 TRANSFER OF HEAT
Heat flows from a body at a
higher temperature to a body
at a lower temperature. This
is called transfer of heat.

Heat is transferred in
three different ways.
They are :-
i) Conduction
ii) Convection
iii) Radiation
 CONDUCTION
Conduction is the process by which heat is transferred mostly
in solids from the hotter end to the colder end.
▪Conduction is possible in solids, liquids as well as in gases. However, in
solids, the particles are closely packed together and hence conduction is
better in the solid state.

▪During conduction, heat is transferred from particle to particle by the

means of back and forth vibrations of the particles (caused by the heat
energy).
Q
Conduction

Heat from the source as causing the atoms of the

solid to vibrate and gain kinetic energy.
Conduction

These atoms cause neighbouring atoms to vibrate.

Kinetic energy is transferred from one atom to
the next.
Conduction

Heat energy is conducted through the solid in this way.

As the atoms of the solid gain kinetic energy the
temperature of the solid increases.
 Conduction in Metals

• In all solids, thermal energy is transferred through the

vibration and collision of particles.
• However, in metals, due to the presence of free electrons,
thermal energy is also spread through electron diffusion.
• Electrons gain kinetic energy and move more rapidly. They
collide with atoms in the cooler parts of the metal and pass
on their energy in the process.
 CONDUCTION
■ Transfer of heat through direct contact.
■ As long as the objects are in contact,
transfer of heat will continue until the
temperature of the objects is the same.
■ Example: If you leave a metal spoon in
a pan of soup that you are heating on
the stove, it may burn your fingers. The
spoon is in direct contact with the hot
soup and heat is transferred to the
spoon.
 CONDUCTION
But it is not necessary that all solids will
conduct heat because there are many
solids that are poor conductors of heat.
For instance, all metals like aluminium,
iron and copper are conductors of heat
whereas materials like plastic, wood,
water and air are insulators.
 CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS
Conductors - Conductors are materials which allow heat
to pass through them easily. E.g. :- iron, aluminium,
copper etc. Insulators - Insulators are materials which
do not allow heat to pass through them easily. E.g. :-
wood, plastic, glass, rubber, air etc.

Conductor Insulators
 ACTIVITY
Take an iron or aluminium
rod or strip. Fix a few wax
pieces on it at equal
distance. Clamp the rod to a
stand. Heat the other end of
the rod. The wax pieces
begin to melt and fall down
from the heated end. This
shows that heat is
transferred from the hotter
end to the colder end by
conduction.
Conduction
Get three rods of the same size.
The rods are made of copper, iron
and glass.

Rest them on a tripod and fix a

small nail at one end of each rod.
Heat the other ends of the rods
equally with a Bunsen Burner.

What happens?
The nails from different materials dropped off from
the rod at different time.
Conduction
Material Time taken for pins to drop
copper 14
iron 73
glass Did not drop

From the experiment it shows that nail from the

copper drops off first at 14 seconds.
This is because heat travels faster through copper
than iron and glass.
We say that copper is a good conductor of heat.
Conduction in Liquids and Gases
• Particles in liquids and gases are spaced farther apart
those in solids
• Collisions between particles occur less frequently;
slow transfer of kinetic energy
• Poor conductors of heat
• An exception is Mercury, which is a good conductor.
Conduction in Solid,liquid,gas
Activity: Conduction in Liquids
 Is air good conductor or insulator
Hold a matchstick about 1 cm away from a very hot
Bunsen flame.
Does the match stick get hot enough to burst into
flame?

This shows that air is a very poor

conductor – it is a very good
insulators.
All gases are poor conductors.
Applications of conduction
Soldering iron
• Iron rod is a good conductor of heat with
copper tip.

• The handle is made of plastic which is a

good insulator.
Applications of conduction
Home electrical appliances
The handles of kettles, hot iron, cooking
utensils are made of wood and plastics
which are the good insulators of heat.
Applications of Insulation
The air trapped in the fur and feather to keep animals warm.
• Birds fluff up their feathers in winter to trap more air.
• Polar bears have thick fur to trap more air and keep them warm.
Applications of Insulation
• A refrigerator has
insulation material
round it to keep it
cold.

• The insulation reduces

the amount of heat
conducted to the
inside from the
warmer room.
Applications of Insulation
Many insulators contain tiny pockets of trapped air to
stop heat conducted away.
• Wool feels warm because it traps a lot of air.
• The air trapped in and between our clothes and
blankets keeps us warm.
Applications of Insulation
Pipes and hot-water
tanks are lagged
with insulation
material to reduce
the loss of energy.
 CONVECTION
Convection is the transfer of heat from the
hotter parts of a liquid (or gas) to its colder
parts by the movement of the liquid (or gas)
itself.

Convection can take place only in liquids and

gases because the particles in liquids and
gases can move freely to transfer the heat.
 Convection
Convection is the transfer of thermal energy by
means of convection currents in a fluid (liquid or
gas), due to a difference in density.
 Conduction vs Convection

• In conduction, thermal energy is transferred

from one particle to another.
• In convection, thermal energy is transferred
through the actual movement of the heated
particles from the warmer to cooler parts of the
fluid.
 Activity
When water in the vessel is
heated, the water near the
flame gets hot. Hot water rises
up and the cold water from the
sides moves down towards the
source of heat. Now this cold
water also gets hot and rises
up and the water from the
sides moves down. This
process continues till the
whole water gets heated. 
 CONVECTION
■ Convection occur in a liquid or gas.
■ When part of a gas or liquid is heated,
the particles it is made up of move
faster and spread out more.
■ The moving particles bump into other
particles, causing them to move faster
and spread out more.
 Convection in Liquids
• When the water at the bottom of
the flask is heated, it expands.
• The expanded water is less dense
than
the surrounding water and rises.
• Since the upper region is cooler, it
is
denser and therefore sinks.
• The difference in the densities of
water in the different regions sets
up a convection current.
• This is shown by purple streams
rising from the bottom and sinking
 Convection in Gases
• When the air above the
candle is heated, it expands. B A

• The expanded air is less dense

than the surrounding air and
rises out of chimney B.
• Since the surrounding air is cooler,
it is denser and therefore sinks
into chimney A.
• The difference in the densities of
the air at the different chimneys
sets up a convection current.
CONVECTION IN AIR
AIR
The air near the heat source gets heated and rise up. The air from
the sides move in to take its place. In this way the air gets heated. If
you keep one hand above a flame and one hand on the side of the
flame, the hand at the top feels hot because the air above is heated
by convection. The hand at the side does not feel as hot because
there is no convection.
 BLOWING OF SEA BREEZE AND LAND BREEZE

Gentle wind is called breeze. The people

living in coastal areas (sea side areas)
experience an interesting phenomenon
called Sea Breeze and Land Breeze which
are based on the transfer of heat in air by
convection currents.
 Sea breeze
During daytime, when the sun shines, the solid land gets heated
to a higher temperature more quickly than liquid sea water. The
hot air over the land rises upwards and cooler air from over the
sea moves towards the land in the form of a cool breeze. The
breeze blowing from the sea towards the land is called the sea
breeze.

Day time (Sea breeze)

 Land breeze
At night time, the hot land cools much faster than the warm sea
water. Due to this, the land becomes cool very quickly but the sea
water remains warm for a much longer time. So, during the night,
the hot air over the warm sea rises upwards and cooler air from
land blows in towards the sea in the form of a breeze. The breeze
blowing from the land towards the sea is called the land breeze.

Night time (Land breeze)

Applications of Convection
Electric kettle
• The heating element is always placed at the bottom of the kettle.
• So that hot water at the bottom which is less dense will rise up.
• Cooler water at the top which is denser will sink to the bottom.
• Convection current is set up to heat up the water.
Applications of Convection
Refrigerator
• The freezer is always placed at
the top of the refrigerator.
• So that cold air at the top will
sinks to the bottom.
• Warmer air at the bottom will
rise to the top.
• Convection current is set up to
cool down the refrigerator.
 RADIATION
Heat transfer from a body with a high temperature to a body with a low
temperature without the help of any medium.
E.g. :- The heat from the sun reaches the earth by radiation.

When we sit near a fire we feel warm due to the heat radiated by the fire.

All hot bodies radiate heat.

 Radiation

Radiation is the transfer of thermal energy in the

form of electromagnetic waves without the aid of
a medium.

• All bodies emit radiations

• Radiation does not require a medium to be
transmitted. This is how the Earth is warmed by
the Sun
Electromagnetic Waves
DARK AND LIGHT COLOURED SURFACES
Dark coloured surfaces absorb more heat than light
coloured surfaces
Take two tin cans of the same size. Paint the outer surface of one
black and the other white. Pour equal amounts of water in each
and leave them in sunlight for about one hour. Measure the
temperature of water in both the cans. The water in the black can
is warmer than the water in the white can.
 Dark colored surfaces radiate more heat than light colored surfaces

Take two tin cans of the same size. Paint the outer
surface of one black and the other white. Pour equal
amounts of hot water of the same temperature (say
60ºC). Leave them in a room or shade for 10 to 15
minutes. Measure the temperature of water in both the
cans. The water in the black can is cooler than the
water in the white can.
Emission experiment
Four containers were filled with warm water.
Which container would have the warmest water
after ten minutes?

Shiny metal Dull metal Dull black Shiny black

Emission experiment

The Shiny metal container would be the warmest

after ten minutes because its shiny surface
reflects heat radiation back into the container so
less is lost. The dull black container would be the
coolest because it is the best at emitting heat
radiation.
Absorption experiment
Four containers were placed equidistant from
a heater. Which container would have the
warmest water after ten minutes?

Shiny metal Dull metal Dull black Shiny black

Absorption experiment
The dull black container would be the
warmest after ten minutes because its
surface absorbs heat radiation the best. The
shiny metal container would be the coolest
because it is the poorest at absorbing heat
radiation.
Other Factors affecting Rate of Radiation
Absorption/Emission
• Surface area
For two objects of identical mass and material, the object with the
larger surface area will emit or absorb radiation at a higher rate.

• Surface temperature
The higher the temperature of an object relative to its
surrounding temperature, the higher the rate of emission of
radiation.
KINDS OF CLOTHES WE WEAR IN SUMMER AND WINTER

We wear dark coloured clothes in winter

because it absorbs more heat and keep us
warm.
We wear light coloured clothes in summer
because it reflects most of the heat and keeps
us cool.
We wear woolen clothes in winter because wool
is a poor conductor of heat and the air in
between the wool fibers prevents loss of heat
from our body. So we feel warm.
Applications of Radiation
Cooling fins at the back of a refrigerator
• Is rough and painted in black.
• A black and rough surface is a good radiator of
heat.
• The motor of the refrigerator can be cooled
down quickly by the cooling fins.
Applications of Radiation
Teapot
• Has smooth, shiny and
silvery surface.
• Smooth, shiny and
silvery surface is a bad
radiator of heat.
• This reduces rate of
heat loss. Tea or coffee
can be kept warm in
the teapot.
Applications of Radiation
White paint for houses
• In hot countries, houses are painted in white
to reduce absorption of heat energy from the
Sun.
CONDUCTION, CONVECTION & RADIATION
 THERMOS FLASK
A vacuum flask (also known as a
Thermos flask) is an insulating
storage vessel that keeps its
contents hotter or cooler than its
surroundings.
Vacuum Flask
•A vacuum Flask is
used to keep hot water
hot or keep cold water
cold.
•It does this by
reducing or stopping
conduction, convection
and radiation.
Vacuum Flask
•It is a double-walled glass bottle. The space between the two walls is
a vacuum. This can stop energy transfer out by conduction and
convection.

•It cannot stops radiation, as radiation can takes place in the vacuum.

•The shiny bright silvering surface on glass wall reduces heat loss by
radiation.

•cork stopper which is made of poor conductors reduces heat loss by

conduction and convection.
 HOW DOES A THERMOS FLASK WORK?

The vacuum flask consists of two flasks, placed one within the
other and joined at the neck. The gap between the two flasks is
partially evacuated of air, creating a near-vacuum which
prevents heat transfer by conduction or convection. Heat
transfer by thermal radiation may be minimized by silvering
flask surfaces facing the gap. Most heat transfer occurs
through the flask's neck and opening, where there is no
vacuum. Vacuum flasks are commonly made
of metal, glass, foam, or plastic, and have their
opening stopper with cork or plastic