PASCO TD-8513 Heat Conduction Apparatus - Manual (Page 13)

®
M o d e l N o . T D - 8 5 1 3 S a m p le D a t a
13
Sample Data
Experiment #1: Heat Conduction
A. Heat Conduction Race
Temperatures measured by the “far” ther-
mistors show the aluminum bar to be the best
conductor and stainless steel the worst. Notice
the cross-over point for the two brass bars (two
central traces).
A close-up of the wave measured at two points
in the wide brass bar shows the pulse arriving
at the “close” thermistor 5.2 s before the “far”
thermistor. The distance between the ther-
mistors is 30 mm. The pulse speed is
30 mm / 5.2 s = 5.8 mm/s
The temperature differences between the ther-
mistors in each bar show that aluminum (with
the smallest
∆
T) is the best conductor and
stainless steel (with the largest
∆
T) is the worst.
The peak occurs because the leading edge of
the heat pulse arrives at the “close” thermistor
before the “far” thermistor. These peaks occur
at different times because the pulses in different
bars travel at different speeds.