Conduction of Heat: The Crisco Experiment

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A common misconception among students may be that heat travels the same through all objects. With this kit, students demonstrate that heat travels through solids at different rates.

The process of heat passing through a solid is called "conduction". These activities help to demonstrate the conduction of heat in practical ways to help students better understand the process. Heat travels from one end to the other by the movement of the matter or molecules. Faster moving hot molecules move against slower cooler molecules. Heat is transferred from hotter to cooler objects. Metals conduct heat easier than other materials such as plastic or glass. When the heat conductivity is small, the materials are called insulators. Heat passing through a solid is dependent upon the conductivity of the material, the thickness of the material, and the temperature used.

In Activity 1 Hot Butter Races, students test different solids to determine which conducts heat faster.
In Activity 2 It's A Wrap, Keeping It Hot, students use materials to stop the heat loss from their beaker or hot water.

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