To determine if aluminum conducts heat better than steel, the students should proceed with the next logical step Analyze the data. Here's a detailed step-by-step analysis based on the provided experimental observations:
1. Identify the Original Length of Wax:
- Aluminum: \(2.5 \, \text{cm}\)
- Steel: \(2.5 \, \text{cm}\)
2. Identify the Length of Wax Left After 10 Minutes:
- Aluminum: \(1.2 \, \text{cm}\)
- Steel: \(1.8 \, \text{cm}\)
3. Calculate the Amount of Wax Lost:
- For Aluminum:
[tex]\[
\text{Wax Lost}_{\text{Aluminum}} = \text{Original Length} - \text{Length After 10 Minutes} = 2.5 \, \text{cm} - 1.2 \, \text{cm} = 1.3 \, \text{cm}
\][/tex]
- For Steel:
[tex]\[
\text{Wax Lost}_{\text{Steel}} = \text{Original Length} - \text{Length After 10 Minutes} = 2.5 \, \text{cm} - 1.8 \, \text{cm} = 0.7 \, \text{cm}
\][/tex]
4. Analyze the Amount of Wax Lost:
- The wax lost from the aluminum wire is \(1.3 \, \text{cm}\).
- The wax lost from the steel wire is \(0.7 \, \text{cm}\).
5. Interpret the Results:
- More wax was lost from the aluminum wire compared to the steel wire.
- This indicates that the aluminum wire conducted more heat, causing more wax to melt.
6. Conclusion:
- Since the aluminum wire resulted in a greater loss of wax, this suggests that aluminum conducts heat better than steel.
Based on the above explanation and calculations, the students' analysis should lead them to the conclusion that aluminum is a better thermal conductor than steel.
