Question

Which of the following is the very poor conductor of heat?
(A) water
(B) metals
(C) liquid other than water
(D) steam

Answer 1

Hint The conduction of the heat is based on the packing density of the substance, if the packing density of the substance is less, then the conduction of the heat is also less. If the packing density of the substance is high, then the conduction of the heat is also high.

Complete step by step answer
Heat energy is the product of the movement of the tiny particles of the solid, liquid and gas which is called atoms, molecules or ions. It can be transferring the heat energy from one object to the other. The transfer of the temperature is called heat transfer. The heat can be transferred by the hot object to the cold object.
The particles that have the greater energy at higher temperature. Some of this energy can be transferred to the lower temperature of the lower energy. For example, when a fast-moving particle collides with a slower moving particle in the gas state, it transfers some of its energy to the slower moving particle, increasing the particle's velocity.
All the heat energy, including fire generated heat, is transferred in various ways: convection is a type which transfers energy from heat through liquid and gases. Conduction is a type which transfers energy from heat through solids. Radiation is a type of transfer that does not require any particles to carry the energy. In fact, it behaves more like electromagnetic waves.
Water is among all poor conductors of the heat. Because it is the liquid and generally liquids are having the lower conductivity of the heat than the solids. The closer the molecules are kept, the more the vibrational energy will pass between them. The heat is nothing, it is generated by the vibration of the molecules. Molecules in the metals are closely packed, so the heat transfer is more. But the molecules in the liquids are loosely packed, then the heat transfer is less.

Hence, the option (A) is the correct answer.

Note In this question is asked to find the poor conductor of the heat. It is obvious that if the molecules are tightly packed, then the vibrational energy is converted to the heat energy. If the molecules are loosely packed the vibrational energy does not occur.