Thermal Conduction (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award)): Revision Note

Exam code: 0654 & 0973

Dan Mitchell-Garnett

Last updated

Thermal conduction in solids

Extended tier only

  • Conduction is the transfer of heat from one region to another through particle vibrations and the movement of free electrons

  • Conduction is the main method of thermal energy transfer in solids

  • Metals are the best thermal conductors

    • This is because they have a high number of free electrons

8-2-1-conduction_sl-physics-rn

Conduction: the atoms in a solid vibrate and collide, transferring energy

  • Conduction can occur through two mechanisms:

    • Atomic vibrations

    • Free electron collisions

  • When a substance is heated, the atoms, or ions, start to move around (vibrate) more

    • The atoms at the hotter end of the solid will vibrate more than the atoms at the cooler end

    • As they do so they bump into each other, transferring energy from atom to atom

    • These collisions transfer internal energy until thermal equilibrium is achieved throughout the substance

    • This occurs in all solids, metals and non-metals alike

  • Additionally, if a solid contains free electrons, these can travel through the material freely and transfer thermal energy through collisions

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Dan Mitchell-Garnett

Author: Dan Mitchell-Garnett

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Dan graduated with a First-class Masters degree in Physics at Durham University, specialising in cell membrane biophysics. After being awarded an Institute of Physics Teacher Training Scholarship, Dan taught physics in secondary schools in the North of England before moving to Save My Exams. Here, he carries on his passion for writing challenging physics questions and helping young people learn to love physics.