Why are metals such good conductors of heat?
Quick Answer
Metals conduct heat well for two reasons: metal ions pack very closely together in their molecular lattice, and electrons drifting through the metal carry kinetic energy around the lattice. The result is a quick elevation in particle motion that is expressed through heat energy. This conductivity is one reason why one rarely sees metal playground equipment anymore — although the slides go a lot faster than plastic ones, sitting on a slide on a hot summer afternoon is often quite painful.
Continue Reading
Full Answer
Within a metallic structure, the positive ions sit close to one another in a geometric layout that is symmetrical. While the ions hold their positions in the lattice, their vibration is constant. Heating the metal causes those ions to vibrate with even more energy. The ions crash into other ions, making their vibration accelerate as well. Passing the energy along in this way is how conducting works, and some of the energy is released as heat.
At the hotter end of a piece of metal, the electrons speed up their movement, gaining kinetic energy from the vibration of the ions colliding with them. Some of them slide away from the heat, running into ions. The collision costs them some of their kinetic energy, but the spreading vibrational energy still ends up leading to the conduction of heat.
Learn more about ThermodynamicsRelated Questions
-
Q:
How would metallic bonds be described?
A: The bonds that hold the atoms in metals together are often described as being built upon metal ions that are floating in a sea of electrons. This is becaus... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What materials are good conductors of heat?
A: Many metals, like silver, copper, gold and aluminum, are good thermal conductors. Thermal conductors are materials that heat passes through easily. Conduct... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Which metal is the best conductor of heat?
A: Of the elemental metals, silver is the best conductor of heat. It has a thermal conductivity of 235, meaning that it is able to transmit that amount of hea... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
Why is copper a good conductor of heat?
A: Copper conducts heat well because its atoms contain only one free valence electrons in the outer shell. Elements with a low number of valence electrons tra... Full Answer >Filed Under:
