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Thermal Conductivity Insights

This document discusses thermal conduction and the thermal conductivity of various materials. It explains that iron feels colder than wood even at the same temperature because iron is a better conductor of heat. Electric conductors have higher thermal conductivity than insulators because they can transfer heat through both electron movement and atomic vibrations. Diamond has high thermal conductivity because its compact atomic arrangement allows for fast heat transfer through atomic vibrations. Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of the metals listed and would therefore work best for cooling fins, which need a large surface area to maximize heat loss.

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517 views4 pages

Thermal Conductivity Insights

This document discusses thermal conduction and the thermal conductivity of various materials. It explains that iron feels colder than wood even at the same temperature because iron is a better conductor of heat. Electric conductors have higher thermal conductivity than insulators because they can transfer heat through both electron movement and atomic vibrations. Diamond has high thermal conductivity because its compact atomic arrangement allows for fast heat transfer through atomic vibrations. Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of the metals listed and would therefore work best for cooling fins, which need a large surface area to maximize heat loss.

Uploaded by

punitha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Thermal Conduction Questions

 Q1: During cold weather, iron feels colder when


it is touched compared with wood although both
are at the same temperature. Explain why this
is so.
Answer: Iron is good thermal conductor whereas
wood is a poor thermal conductor. Thermal energy
flows easily from the body to the iron when the
iron is touched. On the other hand, very small
amount of thermal energy flows from the body to
the wood. The loss of energy by the body to the
iron gives the observer a cold feeling.
SF017 42
 Q2:i) Electric conductors usually have
higher thermal conductivity compared to
those that are not conductors of
electricity. Clarify this statement.

 Answer: i) This is because electric


conductors have free electrons which
transfer heat through random
movements of the free electrons besides
transferring heat through the vibrations
of atoms in the lattice structure.

SF017 43
 ii) Why diamond have a high thermal
conductivity?

 Answers: This is because the


arrangement of atoms in diamond is very
compact. Therefore, the transfer of heat
through the vibrations of atoms can
happen very fast.

SF017 44
 b) Table shows the thermal conductivity of
aluminium, steel, copper and lead.
Metal Thermal Conductivity/
W m-1 K-1
Aluminium 235
Steel 14
Copper 401
Lead 35
 i) Which metal is the most effective when used to make
the cooling fins of a refrigerator or car radiator?
 Answer: Copper

 ii) Explain why the cooling fins must have a large surface
 area?

 Answer: A large surface area increases the rate of heat


SF017 loss 45

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