Conductivity Apparatus

The Conductivity Apparatus (Model EDU222) is a physics lab instrument used to compare the relative thermal conductivity of different metals side by side in a single demonstration. It is part of EduScope India's Physics Lab Equipment range, and gives students a simple, visual way to see how heat travels through copper, brass, aluminum and iron at different rates.

Construction

The apparatus consists of four metal strips — copper, brass, aluminum and iron — each measuring 100 x 10mm, fixed on a wooden ring of 100mm outside diameter. The four strips are arranged so that one end of each meets at the center of the ring, while the outer end of each strip carries a small depression that holds a fixed quantity of wax. Mounting all four strips on the one wooden ring keeps them at a fixed, equal distance from the common center point, so that when heat is applied there, every strip starts the comparison under identical conditions.

How it works

To use the apparatus, heat is applied at the center of the ring, where all four metal strips meet. Heat then conducts outward along each strip toward its outer end, but at a rate that depends on that particular metal's thermal conductivity. The wax held in the depression at the outer end of each strip melts once enough heat has traveled down that strip — and because the four metals conduct heat at different rates, the wax on each strip melts at a different time. The strip whose wax melts first is the best conductor of heat among the four, and the order in which the remaining wax spots melt gives a direct, visual ranking of the other metals. Among the four metals used here, copper is the best conductor, followed by aluminum, then brass, with iron conducting heat the slowest — and this apparatus lets students observe that ordering for themselves rather than simply being told it.

Related instruments

The Conductivity Apparatus is often used alongside other heat and temperature instruments from the same section of a physics lab. EduScope India's Calorimeter with Stirrer is used for measuring heat exchanged in a liquid, complementing the qualitative, comparative reading this apparatus provides with a quantitative calorimetry setup, while the Thermometer is the standard companion instrument for taking temperature readings during any heat-related experiment.

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EduScope India manufactures and exports the Conductivity Apparatus (EDU222) along with a wider range of physics lab equipment for schools, colleges and training institutes. For pricing, bulk orders or further product details, please contact us.