Thermal Energy: Conductors & Insulators

Have you ever touched a hot pot? If you have, you know that heat can move from one object to another object—from the pot to your hand. Heat also moves from one area to another area—for example, from a warm room to a cool room.

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​Transfer of Thermal Energy

Drag and Drop

Thermal ​

Placeholder

allow heat pass through them easily.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

conductors

insulators

Materials that allow thermal energy to pass through them easily are called conductors. Iron, copper, aluminum, and some other metals are good conductors. That’s why pots and pans are usually made of metal.

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Conductors & Insulators

Multiple Choice

Aluminum cans are examples of good thermal conductors.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Is Iron a thermal conductor or insulator?

• Conductor
• Insulator

Insulators are materials that do not allow thermal energy to move through them easily. Wood and plastic are poor conductors. That’s why the handles of pots and pans are often made of wood or plastic. They don’t let the thermal energy from the metal reach your hand.

Conductors & Insulators

Cloth is also a poor conductor of thermal energy. That’s why potholders are made of thick cloth.

It’s also one reason that blankets and winter clothing are made of thick cloth, layers of cloth, or cloth filled with feathers.

Conductors & Insulators

Multiple Choice

A cook will use an oven mitt to pick up a hot pan because cloth is thermal ________ and keeps the heat from their hand.

• Conductor

• Insulator

Multiple Choice

The foam cup and cardboard sleeve act as thermal ______ for the hot coffee.

• Insulator

• Conductor

Match

Match the following

• insulator

• conductor

• thermal energy

Do not let heat pass through them easily

let heat pass through them easily

heat energy

• Do not let heat pass through them easily

• let heat pass through them easily

• heat energy

Categorize

Options (6)

aluminum

copper

aluminum

wool

styrofoam

down jacket

Organize these options into the right categories

Thermal Conductor

Thermal Insulator

Multiple Choice

Look at the chart. Students tested a foam cup and a metal can to see which material was the better conductor. Which claim matches the chart?

• The foam cup is a better conductor than the metal can.
• Both materials conduct equally well.
• The foam cup conducts heat better than the metal can.
• The metal can is a better conductor than the foam cup.

Multiple Choice

Glass is an example of a thermal insulator.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT a thermal insulator?

• Wool

• Glass

• copper

• foam

Multiple Choice

Is Wood a thermal conductor or Insulator?

• Conductor
• Insulator

Multiple Choice

A jacket is a good example of a . . .

• Insulator
• Conductor

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT an insulator.

• Wool
• Plastic
• Iron
• Glass

Multiple Choice

Mittens help keep your hands warm in winter because

• they are colorful
• they are fuzzy
• they are conductors
• they are insulators

Multiple Choice

These are examples of

• Insulators

• Conductors

Multiple Choice

These are examples of

• Conductors

• Insulators

Multiple Choice

Look at the line graph. Students tested a foam cup and a metal can to see which material was the better conductor. Which claim matches the chart?

• The foam cup is a better conductor than the metal can.
• The metal can is a better conductor than the foam cup.
• The foam cup conducts heat better than the metal can.
• Both materials conduct equally well.

Multiple Choice

You filled Foamy McInsulate and Tinny McHeatLeaker with hot water and measured the temperature every 5 minutes for half an hour.

Which container, Foamy McInsulate or Tinny McHeatLeaker, was the better conductor of thermal energy?

• Tinny McHeatLeaker
• Neither container conducts heat
• Both are equal conductors
• Foamy McInsulate