DOWNER’S EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

CSEC PHYSICS LESSONS

WORKSHEET No. 14_METHODS OF HEAT TRANSFER.

Conduction is the flow of thermal energy (heat) through matter from places of higher temperature to
places of lower temperature without movement of the matter as a whole.
Most metals are good conductors of heat; materials such as wood, glass, cork, plastics and fabrics are
bad conductors (insulators).
Liquids and gases also conduct heat but only very slowly. Water is a very poor conductor, as shown in
the figure below. The water at the top of the tube can be boiled before the ice at the bottom melts.

Uses of conductors
a) Good conductors These are used whenever heat is required to travel quickly through something.
Saucepans, boilers and radiators are made of metals such as aluminium, iron and copper.
b) Bad conductors (insulators) The handles of some saucepans are made of wood or plastic. Cork is used
for table mats. Air is one of the worst conductors and so one of the best insulators. This is why houses
with cavity walls (two layers of bricks separated by an air space) and double-glazed windows keep
warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Materials that trap air, such as wool, felt, fur, feathers,
polystyrene foam, fibreglass, are also very bad conductors. Some of these materials are used as ‘lagging’
to insulate water pipes, hot water cylinders, ovens, refrigerators and the walls and roofs of houses.

Conduction and the kinetic theory

Two processes occur in metals:
1. Metals have a large number of ‘free’ electrons which wander about inside them. When one part
of a metal is heated, the electrons there move faster (their kinetic energy increases) and further.
As a result they ‘jostle’ atoms in cooler parts, so passing on their energy and raising the
temperature of these parts. This process occurs quickly.
2. The atoms themselves at the hot part make ‘colder’ neighbouring atoms vibrate more
vigorously. This is less important in metals but is the only way conduction occurs in non-metals
since these do not have ‘free’ electrons; hence non-metals are poor conductors of heat.
Convection is the flow of heat through a fluid from places of higher temperature to places of lower
temperature by movement of the fluid itself.

Convection is the usual method by which thermal energy (heat) travels through fluids such as liquids
and gases.
Streams of warm moving fluids are called convection currents. They arise when a fluid is heated because
it expands, becomes less dense and is forced upwards by surrounding cooler, denser fluid which moves
under it.
Convection in liquids Convection in Gases

Natural convection currents

a) Coastal breezes
During the day the temperature of the land increases more quickly than that of the sea (because the
specific heat capacity of the land is much smaller). The hot air above the land rises and is replaced by
colder air from the sea. A breeze from the sea results .
At night the opposite happens. The sea has more heat to lose and cools more slowly. The air above the
sea is warmer than that over the land and a breeze blows from the land .
Radiation is the flow of heat from one place to another by means of electromagnetic waves.
Good and bad absorbers
Dull black surfaces are better absorbers of radiation than white shiny surfaces – the latter are good
reflectors of radiation. Reflectors on electric fi res are made of polished metal because of its good
reflecting properties.
Good and bad emitters
Some surfaces also emit radiation better than others when they are hot.
A dull black surface is a better emitter of radiation than a shiny one.
In general, surfaces that are good absorbers of radiation are good emitters when hot.

Vacuum flask
A vacuum or Thermos flask keeps hot liquids hot or cold liquids cold. It is very difficult for heat to travel
into or out of the flask.
Transfer by conduction and convection is minimised by making the flask a double-walled glass vessel
with a vacuum between the walls.
Radiation is reduced by silvering both walls on the vacuum side. Then if, for example, a hot liquid is
stored, the small amount of radiation from the hot inside wall is reflected back across the vacuum by the
silvering on the outer wall.
The slight heat loss that does occur is by conduction up the thin glass walls and through the stopper.
QUESTIONS:

Identify the method of heat transfer that takes place in each illustration. Some illustrations may
show more than one form of heat transfer.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12 .

In each of the following situations, identify the method of heat transfer taking place
(conduction, convection, radiation). More than one process may be occurring.

1. Hot coffee is stirred with a spoon, the spoon gets hot due to _______________.

2. A chair is placed several feet from a fire in a fireplace. The fireplace has a glass screen. The side
of the chair facing the fireplace gets warm because of_______________.
3. A certain type of decorative lamp contains colored liquids. These liquids form globs that break
off and rise to the top of the liquid. The globs rise due to _______________.
4. Near the ceiling of a room the air is warmer. The warm air rises because of _______________.

5. A college student holds the back of his hand near an iron to see if it is hot. Heat is transferred to
his hand by _______________.
6. A heater is placed under one corner of a water bed mattress. Warm water moves throughout
the mattress because of _______________.
7. A certain type of stainless steel cookware has a layer of copper applied to the bottom to help it
heat evenly. The copper transfers heat to the pan by _______________.
8. In a swimming pool, the water near the surface is slightly warmer. The warm water rises
because of _______________.
9. One end of a copper rod is placed in a flame of a Bunsen burner. Small pieces of wax
placed along the rod melt at progressively larger distance from the flame. Heat is transferred
through the rod by _______________.
10. A house burns down. On the house across the street, all of the vinyl siding is twisted and
warped by the heat. The heat was transferred across the street by _______________.
11. 11. Warm air over the beach rises while cooler dense air from the ocean rushes in due to
_______________.

12. The metal skewer gets so hot that you drop your marshmallow in the campfire because of
_______________.

13. A huge rock at the state park gets so hot during the day that you can’t sit on it from
_______________.

14. You lay on that same rock at night so that you can keep warm by _______________.