A student places a metal spoon and a plastic spoon of the same size into a mug of boiling water. After a few minutes, the handle of the metal spoon feels much hotter than the handle of the plastic spoon. Which statement explains why the metal spoon's handle gets hot more quickly?
Metals are good thermal conductors, while plastics are poor thermal conductors.
Plastics are good thermal conductors, while metals are poor thermal conductors.
Shiny metal surfaces are good absorbers of infrared radiation.
Plastic surfaces are good emitters of infrared radiation.
301 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 2.3 Transfer of thermal energy, covering 2.3.1a Thermal conductors and thermal insulators, 2.3.1b Explaining thermal conduction, 2.3.2 Convection, 2.3.3a Thermal radiation, 2.3.3b Surface colour and texture, 2.3.3c Rate of emission and absorption of radiation, and 2.3.4 Consequences of thermal energy transfer. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.