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Thermal Conduction (Cambridge O Level Physics)
Revision Note
Thermal Conduction in Solids
- Conduction is the main method of thermal energy transfer in solids
- Conduction occurs when:
Two solids of different temperatures come in contact with one another, thermal energy is transferred from the hotter object to the cooler object
- Metals are the best thermal conductors
- This is because they have a high number of free electrons
Thermal Conduction in a Metal
Conduction: the atoms in a solid vibrate and bump into each other
- 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
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