Question

15. Explain an activity to compare thermal conductivities of metals and non-
metals (with diagram).​

Answer 1

Answer:

Thermal Conductivity is a measure of a materials ability to transfer heat through itself and is one of the 3 variables in Thermal resistance. Thermal Resistance is analogous to Electrical Resistance in that it is inversely proportional to the flow of heat. In a laboratory setting, thermal resistance is calculated under specific circumstances allowing for thermal conductivity to then be derived from the obtained results.

Heat Flow Equation Q = ΔT / RΘ

Q = Heat flow in Watts

ΔT = Temperature difference in Degrees Celsius

RΘ = Thermal Resistance (l / k ⋅ A)

l = Length of a material in Meters

k = Thermal conductivity constant in W/m-K

A = Surface area in meters squared

This experiment will vary the bolded constant via different samples.

This experiment was designed to compare thermal conductivities thus surface area, length and temperature difference must remain the same in every test. One may use non-metals for this experiment however, may run the risk of lengthy testing time or potential incompletion. It is therefore suggested that metals be used. A listing of common metals may be found in the comparison section.