What is Conduction?

Conduction is the process of moving heat or electricity directly from one substance to another. It occurs when there is a temperature difference between two substances, and heat flows from the hotter substance to the cooler substance until the temperature difference is minimized.

Heat can move through solids, liquids, and gases, and the rate at which it does so is governed by the material’s conductivity. While certain materials, like insulators, are poor conductors of heat, others, like metals, are good conductors.

Metals and other materials with strong electrical conductivity can also be used to conduct electricity. Electrons pass through a conductor when there is an electrical current flowing through it. The resistance of a material to the flow of electricity is known as its electrical resistance, and this can be affected by factors such as the temperature and the purity of the material.

Conduction is an important process that occurs in many natural and artificial systems, and it plays a vital role in the transfer and exchange of energy. It is also an important factor to consider in the design of materials and devices that are used to conduct heat or electricity.

If you hold an iron rod with one end over a fire for a while, the handle will heat up, as a simple illustration of conduction. Conduction throughout the length of the iron rod is what is happening in this situation, transferring heat from the tip that is retained in the fire to the handle. Due to the increased temperature of their surroundings, the atoms and electrons in the iron rod’s hot end have relatively higher vibrational amplitude values.

When two nearby atoms collide, the enhanced vibrational amplitudes are propagated from atom to atom along the rod. This results in a temperature increase along the rod.