Thermal conductivity of Wood and Metal

Boiling water in a paper cup

Relevant Resource questions :

Concepts demonstrated :

• Heat transfer by conduction
• Specific heat of materials

• Conduction apparatus
• bunsen burner and matches
• CCD camera

• Match heads or wax are placed at regular intervals along various metal rods.
• All rods are heated from one central location.

None.

Physics involved :

Different materials conduct heat at different rates depending on the specific heat of the material. (delta Q = mC delta T). If C is large, heat will flow more quickly.

How to use the Demonstration :

• Compare the conduction of different metals by observing how long (in time) it takes the wax to melt for each material. Discuss heat flow and specific heat for different materials.

• metal frying pan handle
• metal spoons in boiling water

• Make a poster for Open Days.

• This is a small demonstration and difficult to see. It therefore needs the CCD camera.
• Qualitative demonstration.
• A quick demonstration to perform.