Conductors and Insulators

What does the energy transfer through a conductor depend on?

The conductor’s thermal conductivity

What are insulators?

Materials with low thermal conductivity

What does an energy transfer of an insulating material depend on (3)?

The temperature difference across the material (1), the thickness of the material (2), the thermal conductivity of the material (3)

How does conduction work (3)?

When particles get heated, they gain energy, this makes them move faster (1), they collide with neighboring particles and transfer energy to them (2), these particles then gain energy, passing the energy on

How does a material’s density correlate with how well it can conduct?

The higher the density of a material, the better it will conduct

Why are metals good conductors?

Because their electrons are free