Question

Imagine that you have a metal bar sitting half in the sun and half in the dark. On a sunny day, the part of the metal that has been sitting in the sun feels hot. If you touch the part of the metal bar that has been sitting in the dark, will it feel hot or cold? Justify your answer in terms of thermal conductivity.

Answer 1

Answer:

It will feel hot.

Explanation:

The part of the metal that has been sitting in the sun will heat up, and because metal is a good conductor, the part sitting in the sun will heat up the part sitting in the dark.

We say metal is a good conductor because it has high thermal conductivity, which mean heat will flow from the hot section of the bar to the cold section of the bat.