Discovery Card, Conduction Junction

Courtesy of National Science Foundation Polar Connections
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nstw/teach/nstw98/english/actc/dscrd2.htm

1. Record the room temperature.
2. Tape a thermometer firmly to two or three of your containers or other items. Are these containers and other materials the same temperature? Touch each container with your hand, inner forearm, or cheek.
3. How does your hand feel while (or just after) touching each container or piece of material? Colder, warmer, or the same? Why?
4. Now place the ends of the wood and metal sticks on the heat lamp. (Use caution and perhaps the oven mitt; one of the sticks will get hot!) Place four balls of wax or crayon slivers at equal 10 cm intervals along each stick. Wait two minutes. What do you observe? Why might your identical samples melt at different rates on sticks composed of different materials?
5. Based on your observations, work together to draw a map of heat flow and temperature in this latter experiment.