Conduction

Good and bad conductors

An interactive lesson with 7 steps, about 6 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Fourier's law: $P = kA\Delta T / d$.
• Metals conduct heat well. Air, foam and wood conduct poorly.
• Touch senses the rate of heat loss, not the temperature itself.

Steps

1. Fourier’s law
2. Heat soaking through
3. Cold to the touch
4. A single-glazed window
5. A leaky wall
6. Insulating a loft
7. Copper versus steel