Thermal conductivity of metals

Principle

The thermal conductivity of copper and aluminium is determined in a constant temperature gradient from the calorimetrically measured heat flow.

Benefits

• Easy to set temperature gradient
• Compact, easily transportable setup

Tasks

1. Determine the heat capacity of the calorimeter in a mixture experiment as a preliminary test. Measure the calefaction of water at a temperature of 0 °C in a calorimeter due to the action of the ambient temperature as a function of time.
2. To begin with, establish a constant temperature gradient in a metal rod with the use of two heat reservoirs (boiling water and ice water). After removing the pieces of ice, measure the calefaction of the cold water as a function of time

             and determine the thermal conductivity of the metal rod.

Learning objectives

• Thermal conductivity
• Diffusion
• Temperature gradient
• Heat transport
• Specific heat