Some students think that metals are good insulators
Energy and Thermal Physics
Misconception
This idea that metals are poor conductors or good insulators likely comes from their everyday life experience of using insulated (vacuum) water bottles which are made from metal, arising from a fairly recent trend.
Resources to Address This
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This demonstration shows, against the student's intuition, that an ice cube melts more quickly when in contact with a metal block than a plastic block.
You can use this demo to show students that metals are in fact good conductors.
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This misconception was submitted by the teaching community.
