Materials that are Good Conductors of Heat and Electricity

_______ 2. Sylvia separated their three kind of spoon, one made out of wood, one made out of plastic and one made out of metal.

_______ 3. Teresa removed her silver ring before washing their clothes in washing machine.

_______ 4. Allyssa found her gold earring under the cabinet.

_______ 5. I covered the fish with aluminum foil for about 3 minutes before grilling it.

Take note of the following italicized words used in each situation.

Materials that are Good Conductors of Heat and Electricity

You will notice that the pots and pans that you have in your kitchen are almost made from metal. Metal is a material that conducts heat and electricity better than others.

Conductor- this material allows transfer of heat energy. Most of the solids are better conductors than liquid and gases because the particles in solids are closer, making it easier for the particles to transfer energy. Most conductors of heat are made of metals like stainless steel and the best conductor of heat is copper.

This material allows electricity to pass and flow through them easily, because electron can move freely. These materials include metals such as copper, zinc and iron. ^

As a result, these metals are used as electronic parts in appliances and other electronic devices.Copper is the most commonly used conductor in electronic wiring while the best metal that conducts electricity is silver^

These materials can be considered as insulator.

Insulator are materials that does not allow the electric current and heat to pass through it. Look at the table below. It shows the differences between conductor and insulator

There are other materials that can conduct electricity such as water, your body, gold, aluminum, mercury, steel, and bronze.

Other solids such as wood contain pockets of air trapped between their particles. They conduct heat at a slower rate than metals.

Table 1: Differences between conductor and insulator

Conductor

It allows the electric current and heat to pass through it.

Metals are example of conductors.

Insulator

It does not allow the electric current and heat to pass through it.