Physics·Thermal Physics · NSSCO 3.3.1-3.3.2
Conduction & convection
Narrated lesson · press play
Heat energy always travels from hot to cold — but how? In this lesson we meet the first two ways: conduction, where heat creeps through a solid by vibrating particles and (in metals) racing free electrons; and convection, where a whole warmed fluid rises, sinks and circulates in a current. Along the way we sort good conductors from insulators and explain the burning spoon, the cool pot handle, the sea breeze and the kettle.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Physics 3.3.1-3.3.2):
- Define conduction of heat as the flow of heat through a material without any flow of the material
- Give a simple molecular account of heat transfer in insulators (vibrating particles) and the migration of free electrons in metals
- Describe experiments to demonstrate the properties of good and bad conductors of heat
- Define convection as the flow of a liquid or gas caused by a change in density, in which the whole medium moves and carries heat energy with it
- Describe convection in fluids as due to a density change, and explain why a warmed fluid rises
- Explain the difference between conduction and convection in terms of the physical movement of the medium
- Describe experiments and everyday examples that illustrate convection (sea breeze, radiator, kettle)
Loading your lesson…
You're watching a free 3-minute preview — create a free account to keep going.
Quick revision
Revise this in 5 minutes
Ms Elizabeth and Mike talk through the whole topic — with the figure and working drawn live.