Why is conduction more effective in metals than in non-metals?

Conduction is more effective in metals because they have free electrons that transfer heat energy quickly.

In more detail, metals are good conductors of heat due to their unique atomic structure. They have a sea of free electrons that are not bound to any particular atom. These free electrons are highly mobile and can move around freely within the metal. When heat is applied to one end of a metal, these free electrons absorb the heat energy and move rapidly towards the cooler end, transferring the heat energy as they go. This process is known as conduction and it happens very quickly in metals, making them excellent conductors of heat.

Non-metals, on the other hand, do not have this sea of free electrons. Their electrons are tightly bound to their atoms and cannot move around freely. Therefore, when heat is applied to a non-metal, the heat energy has to be transferred from atom to atom by vibrations. This process is much slower than the movement of free electrons in metals, making non-metals poor conductors of heat.

Furthermore, the atomic structure of metals allows them to have a high density of atoms. This means that there are more atoms in a given volume of metal than in the same volume of a non-metal. As a result, there are more potential sites for the free electrons to collide with and transfer their heat energy to. This also contributes to the high thermal conductivity of metals.

In summary, the presence of free electrons and a high density of atoms in metals allows them to conduct heat more effectively than non-metals.