Thermal Conduction in Materials
10th Grade•40 minutes•igcse physics
Learning Objective
I can describe how thermal energy transfers through different materials by conduction.
Key Concepts
Thermal conductivity is a material's ability to transfer heat from a hot object to a cold object.
Metals are good conductors of heat because they share their electrons in a delocalized cloud, while non-metals transfer heat using phonons.
Thermal conductivity is measured in watts per meter Kelvin, and a vacuum has zero thermal conductivity.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 7 practice questions to reinforce learning.
View questions preview
1. What is thermal conductivity?
2. Why are metals generally good conductors of heat?
3. How do non-metals conduct heat?
...and 4 more questions
Educational Video
Thermal Conductivity
Bozeman Science