Thermal insulators and conductors are used for controlling heat and in this KS2 Science quiz we look at some of the ways we can use them.
Have you ever heard of thermal underwear? Some people wear it in the winter time to keep themselves warm. Thermal underwear is a good insulator. Insulators are materials which do not conduct heat very well and so we can use them to control heat and keep things hot or cold. Thermos flasks are made from insulating materials. Conductors are the opposite of insulators. Heat passes quite easily through them. We can use conductors to move heat, for example, radiators are made from metal. That's because metal is a good conductor of heat and so metal radiators warm rooms or cool engines much more quickly than wooden ones would!
Try this science quiz to test your knowledge on how thermal insulators and conductors control heat..
1.
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What do we call a material which can transfer heat easily? |
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[ ] |
A thermal insulator |
[ ] |
A thermal conductor |
[ ] |
An electrical insulator |
[ ] |
An electrical conductor |
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2.
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What do we call a material which does not allow heat to transfer easily? |
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[ ] |
A thermal insulator |
[ ] |
A thermal conductor |
[ ] |
An electrical insulator |
[ ] |
An electrical conductor |
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3.
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Why should oven gloves be made from materials which are good thermal insulators? |
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[ ] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will be more comfortable |
[ ] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will keep the food hot |
[ ] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will protect hands from being burned |
[ ] |
Good thermal insulators will keep the oven hot |
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4.
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Which of these materials is a better thermal conductor than the others? |
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[ ] |
Brick |
[ ] |
Aluminium |
[ ] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Paper |
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5.
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Which of these materials would be a better thermal insulator than the others? |
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[ ] |
Gold |
[ ] |
Steel |
[ ] |
Copper |
[ ] |
Wool |
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6.
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Why do stainless steel pots often have wooden handles? |
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[ ] |
Wood is a good thermal conductor |
[ ] |
Wood is a good thermal insulator |
[ ] |
Wood is a good electrical insulator |
[ ] |
It is not possible to make handles out of steel |
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7.
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If you put frozen ice cream into a metal bowl, what would happen? |
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[ ] |
Warmth would travel from the bowl to the ice cream |
[ ] |
Warmth would travel from the ice cream to the bowl |
[ ] |
Cold would travel from the bowl to the ice cream |
[ ] |
Cold would travel from the ice cream to the bowl |
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8.
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Which of the following would best protect ice cream from melting? |
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[ ] |
A metal bowl with a lid |
[ ] |
A plastic cup |
[ ] |
An ice cream cone |
[ ] |
A vacuum flask |
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9.
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Plastic is a good thermal insulator. Where would you see plastic used? |
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[ ] |
For the base (bottom) of a frying pan |
[ ] |
For the inside of a cooker |
[ ] |
For the handle of an electric kettle |
[ ] |
For the base of an iron |
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10.
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What would be a disadvantage of stirring a boiling pot with a metal spoon? |
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[ ] |
Cold would travel from your hand to the boiling pot |
[ ] |
Heat would travel from the boiling pot to your hand |
[ ] |
Metal spoons don't make enough noise while you're stirring |
[ ] |
Metal spoons don't stir very well |
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1.
|
What do we call a material which can transfer heat easily? |
|
[ ] |
A thermal insulator |
[x] |
A thermal conductor |
[ ] |
An electrical insulator |
[ ] |
An electrical conductor |
|
|
2.
|
What do we call a material which does not allow heat to transfer easily? |
|
[x] |
A thermal insulator |
[ ] |
A thermal conductor |
[ ] |
An electrical insulator |
[ ] |
An electrical conductor |
|
|
3.
|
Why should oven gloves be made from materials which are good thermal insulators? |
|
[ ] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will be more comfortable |
[ ] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will keep the food hot |
[x] |
Oven gloves made from good thermal insulators will protect hands from being burned |
[ ] |
Good thermal insulators will keep the oven hot |
|
|
4.
|
Which of these materials is a better thermal conductor than the others? |
|
[ ] |
Brick |
[x] |
Aluminium |
[ ] |
Wood |
[ ] |
Paper |
|
|
5.
|
Which of these materials would be a better thermal insulator than the others? |
|
[ ] |
Gold |
[ ] |
Steel |
[ ] |
Copper |
[x] |
Wool |
|
|
6.
|
Why do stainless steel pots often have wooden handles? |
|
[ ] |
Wood is a good thermal conductor |
[x] |
Wood is a good thermal insulator |
[ ] |
Wood is a good electrical insulator |
[ ] |
It is not possible to make handles out of steel |
|
|
7.
|
If you put frozen ice cream into a metal bowl, what would happen? |
|
[x] |
Warmth would travel from the bowl to the ice cream |
[ ] |
Warmth would travel from the ice cream to the bowl |
[ ] |
Cold would travel from the bowl to the ice cream |
[ ] |
Cold would travel from the ice cream to the bowl |
|
|
8.
|
Which of the following would best protect ice cream from melting? |
|
[ ] |
A metal bowl with a lid |
[ ] |
A plastic cup |
[ ] |
An ice cream cone |
[x] |
A vacuum flask |
|
|
9.
|
Plastic is a good thermal insulator. Where would you see plastic used? |
|
[ ] |
For the base (bottom) of a frying pan |
[ ] |
For the inside of a cooker |
[x] |
For the handle of an electric kettle |
[ ] |
For the base of an iron |
|
|
10.
|
What would be a disadvantage of stirring a boiling pot with a metal spoon? |
|
[ ] |
Cold would travel from your hand to the boiling pot |
[x] |
Heat would travel from the boiling pot to your hand |
[ ] |
Metal spoons don't make enough noise while you're stirring |
[ ] |
Metal spoons don't stir very well |
|
|