Thermal Properties of Materials

Click on the flashcard to see the answer



What is thermal conductivity?

Thermal conductivity is a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat.

Which material typically has higher thermal conductivity: metals or non-metals?

Metals typically have higher thermal conductivity than non-metals.

What is the SI unit for measuring thermal conductivity?

The SI unit for thermal conductivity is watts per meter-kelvin (W/m·K).

Why do metals feel colder to the touch than other materials at the same temperature?

Metals conduct heat away from the body quicker than other materials due to their high thermal conductivity, making them feel colder.

What is thermal expansion?

Thermal expansion is the increase in volume of a material as its temperature increases.

What does the coefficient of thermal expansion describe?

It describes how the size of an object changes with a change in temperature.

Which type of materials generally have a higher coefficient of thermal expansion, solids or liquids?

Solids generally have lower coefficients of thermal expansion than liquids.

What is specific heat capacity?

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by one degree Celsius per unit mass.

Why is water's specific heat capacity important to Earth's climate?

Water's high specific heat capacity helps stabilize Earth's climate by absorbing and releasing heat slowly.

What material is often used in thermal insulation due to its low thermal conductivity?

Materials like foam or fiberglass are often used in insulation because of their low thermal conductivity.

How does specific heat capacity affect the time it takes for a substance to heat up?

Substances with higher specific heat capacities take longer to heat up than those with lower capacities, given the same amount of energy.

What role does thermal conductivity play in heat exchangers?

In heat exchangers, materials with high thermal conductivity efficiently transfer heat between two fluids.

What is the relationship between temperature and the state of matter in terms of thermal properties?

As temperature increases, substances may change states (solid to liquid to gas) due to increased molecular motion.

What property of a thermometer makes it useful for measuring temperature?

Thermometers use thermal expansion of liquids, like mercury or alcohol, to measure temperature changes.

How do engineers use knowledge of thermal properties when selecting materials for constructing bridges?

Engineers choose materials with appropriate thermal expansion properties to manage size changes due to temperature variations.




Test Your Knowledge

Select the correct option


1. What is thermal conductivity?

Thermal conductivity is the ability of a material to resist heat flow.

Thermal conductivity is the measure of a material's ability to store heat.

Thermal conductivity is a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat.

Thermal conductivity is the energy required to change a material's temperature.

2. Which material typically has higher thermal conductivity: metals or non-metals?

Metals typically have higher thermal conductivity than non-metals.

Non-metals typically have higher thermal conductivity than metals.

Both have equal thermal conductivity.

The thermal conductivity depends solely on material temperature.

3. What is the SI unit for measuring thermal conductivity?

Watts per meter-kelvin (W/m·K).

Joules per kelvin (J/K).

Therms per meter (T/m).

Calories per meter-kelvin (Cal/m·K).

4. Why do metals feel colder to the touch than other materials at the same temperature?

Metals conduct heat away from the body quicker than other materials due to their high thermal conductivity, making them feel colder.

Metals absorb moisture, making them feel colder.

Metals have higher density which makes them feel colder.

Metals reflect more heat, making them appear colder.

5. What does the coefficient of thermal expansion describe?

It describes the speed at which heat is conducted through a material.

It describes how the size of an object changes with a change in temperature.

It describes the elasticity of a material under thermal stress.

It describes the rate of temperature change in a material.

6. Which type of materials generally have a higher coefficient of thermal expansion, solids or liquids?

Solids generally have higher coefficients of thermal expansion than liquids.

Solids generally have lower coefficients of thermal expansion than liquids.

Both solids and liquids have the same coefficient of thermal expansion.

Solids and liquids have no defined coefficient of thermal expansion.

7. What is specific heat capacity?

It is the energy required to melt a given mass of a substance.

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to change a substance's temperature by one degree Celsius per unit mass.

It is the energy a substance can store per unit volume.

It is the heat a material emits per unit time.

8. What material is often used in thermal insulation due to its low thermal conductivity?

Copper pipes are used for thermal insulation.

Metals are often used due to their strong thermal insulation properties.

Materials like foam or fiberglass are often used in insulation because of their low thermal conductivity.

Glass is commonly used for its insulating properties.

9. How does specific heat capacity affect the time it takes for a substance to heat up?

Materials with high specific heat capacities cool down faster than those with lower capacities.

It has no effect on the heating time of a substance.

Substances with higher specific heat capacities take longer to heat up than those with lower capacities, given the same amount of energy.

Specific heat capacity only affects the boiling point of substances.

10. How do engineers use knowledge of thermal properties when selecting materials for constructing bridges?

They select materials based only on cost, disregarding thermal properties.

Engineers choose materials with appropriate thermal expansion properties to manage size changes due to temperature variations.

They ignore thermal properties and focus solely on structural strength.

They use materials that entirely prevent thermal expansion to maintain structural integrity.