Conduction

• What is conduction?


  Conduction is the process by which vibrating particles transfer energy to neighbouring particles.
• Energy transferred to an object by heating...

  ... is transferred to the thermal energy store of the object. This energy is shared across the kinetic energy stores of the particles in the object.
• The particles in the part of the object being heated...

  ... have more energy transferred to their kinetic energy stores, and so vibrate more and collide with each other.
• What do the collisions cause?

  Energy to be transferred between the particles' kinetic energy stores.
• Where does this process continue?

  Throughout the object until the energy is spread out evenly across the object.
• What happens once the energy is spread out evenly across the object?

  It is then usually transferred to the thermal energy store of the surroundings ( or anything else touching it).
• What does conduction mainly occur in?

  Solids.
• Why does conduction mainly occur in solids?

  Particles in liquids and gases are much more free to move around, so their particles collide less frequently, which is why they usually transfer energy by convection instead of conduction.
• What is thermal conductivity?

  A measure of how quickly energy is transferred through a material in this way.
• Materials with a high thermal conductivity...

  ... transfer energy between their particles quickly.
• The higher a material's thermal conductivity...

  ... the faster energy can be transferred through it by conduction.
• What are materials with a high thermal conductivity know as?

  Thermal conductors.
• What are materials with a low thermal conductivity know as?

  Thermal insulators.