Science

insulators

Materials that are not good at transferring thermal energy by conduction

What information would you need in order to predict whether transfer of thermal energy would occur when two objects or materials interact?

You would need to know the temperature of each object to be able to know which particles are moving faster and which object will send the particles to which object. If the objects are directly touching, the objects will interact with conduction.

conductor

a material that transmits energy

heat

a measure of the flow of thermal energy from one object or substance to another.

how does thermal energy transfer?

from a warmer object to a cooler

what type of materials are good insulators?

glass, wood, plastic, and air

what type of materials are good conductors?

metal

The convection current

the circulating path of hot water rising and cold water sinking—transfers thermal energy by actually moving the warmer water to a new area.

what happens when electromagnetic radiation strikes an object?

the energy carried by the electromagnetic wave is transferred to the object, causing the particle motion within the object to increase.

what happens when thermal energy is transferred to a material?

the motion of its particles speeds up and its temperature increases.

what happens If two objects are placed in contact with each other?

thermal energy flows from the warmer object (with faster-moving particles) to the cooler object (with slower-moving particles). When the faster particles collide with the slower particles, they transfer some of their energy to the slower particles.

radiation

transfers energy by electromagnetic waves, a method that operates even in the absence of matter (through outer space, for example).

Conduction

transfers thermal energy through direct contact

convection

transfers thermal energy through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases) in circulation cells.