Chapter 5, Problem 17STP

To determine

Solids and liquids are better conductors than gases.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

In heat conduction, the heat is directly transmitted to a substance fabric if there is a difference of temperature, without movement of the fabric.

In solids, heat conduction is better. In cases of gases, it is worst.

In the case of solids, particles are tightly bonded. So, their positions are almost fixed with respect to every other particle as shown in Figure 1. The force between the two particles is robust, which makes the heat transfer process (by a collision) more efficient.

In the case of liquids, the particles are not tightly packed. So, they can move around within it. The force between two liquid particles is not as strong as solids but better than gases. Thus, liquids are usually poor conductors in comparison to solids.

In the case of gases, the particles are far apart from each other. So, the energy transfer due to collision is very inefficient in this case. Thus, gases, like air, are very poor conductors than solids and liquids. In gases, heat transfer takes place by convection.

  

Figure 1