Question 16 (1 point)
When handling a metal pan that has been heated on a stove, an oven mitt should always be used to avoid receiving burns. Which of the following is a physical property of the metal pan that requires the use of an oven mitt when it is hot?
a
high solubility
b
low thermal convection
c
low magnetism
d
high thermal conductivity
d
high thermal conductivity
The correct answer is D) high thermal conductivity.
When a metal pan is heated on a stove, it quickly conducts heat from the stove to its surface. Since metal is a good conductor of heat, the surface of the pan becomes hot. This high thermal conductivity is a physical property of the metal pan that requires the use of an oven mitt when it is hot. Without using an oven mitt, there is a high risk of receiving burns from the hot surface of the metal pan.
The correct answer is d) high thermal conductivity.
To understand why high thermal conductivity is a physical property of the metal pan that requires the use of an oven mitt when it is hot, we need to know what thermal conductivity is and how it relates to heat transfer.
Thermal conductivity is a measure of a material's ability to conduct heat through it. It tells us how well a material can transfer heat from one point to another. Materials with high thermal conductivity can transfer heat quickly, while materials with low thermal conductivity transfer heat more slowly.
In the case of a metal pan, it is made of a material (usually a metal like stainless steel or aluminum) that has high thermal conductivity. When the pan is heated on a stove, the heat quickly spreads throughout the entire pan due to its high thermal conductivity. As a result, the entire metal surface of the pan gets hot, including the handle.
Since metal conducts heat very effectively, touching the hot metal pan without protection can lead to burns. That's why an oven mitt should always be used to handle a metal pan that has been heated on a stove. The oven mitt acts as a barrier, insulating your hand from the hot pan and preventing burns.
In summary, the physical property of high thermal conductivity in the metal pan necessitates the use of an oven mitt when it is hot, as it allows for the rapid transfer of heat and can cause burns if handled directly.