Thermal energy flows through any material where there are regions of different temperature. Obviously, heat flows from hot to cold.
The rate at which heat flows through a material is determined by the thermal conductivity of the material. All types of matter have some thermal conductivity. (Thermal resistivity is a related concept but is basically the inverse of thermal conductivity.)
Thermal conductivity is a materials specific property. There are tables of values available for all common substances. For all solids, the rate of heat flow is directly proportional to temperature difference. In a simple geometry, such as a flat plate with two surfaces at different temperatures, there is a simple formula to give the rate of heat flow from the hot surface to the cold one.
For fluids and gasses, the rate which thermal energy is transferred become complex because of convection processes where movement of the the liquid or gas itself occurs. This is a very geometry specific situation and there is no simple formula for calculating heat transfer rates. (People have developed useful formulas for some special cases and these are applied as needed in engineering.)
Though not immediately relevant, energy transfer can occur through radiative processes. It is necessary to mention that for completeness.
The basic answer is that a substance transfers thermal energy at a rate determined by its thermal conductivity.
A substance / system that conducts heat to / from a surface, with resorting to (external) fluid flow.
metal conducts heatEverything conducts heat, to a greater or lesser extent.
Everything conducts heat and electricity (if the voltage is high enough). Some things do it well, some things do it poorly. Sugar is one of those things that does it poorly. Actually not every thing conducts electricity such as rubber even if at high voltage
No electron support, there by giving it a very high dielectric strength.
gas100% sure
A conductor is a substance that conducts heat or electricity.
Any substance will work for this. That is, any substance conducts heat, but some do so better than others. A substance that conducts heat well is called a conductor. Examples include all metals.
substance mass
If a substance conducts heat easily, it is considered to be a good conductor of heat. Materials like metals, such as copper and aluminum, are known for their high thermal conductivity, allowing heat to flow through them quickly.
A thermal conductor.
A substance / system that conducts heat to / from a surface, with resorting to (external) fluid flow.
A substance / system that conducts heat to / from a surface, with resorting to (external) fluid flow.
No, the rate of heating and the rate of cooling of a substance are not necessarily equal. The rate of heating refers to how quickly a substance gains heat energy, while the rate of cooling refers to how quickly a substance loses heat energy. These rates can be different depending on factors like the material of the substance, the temperature gradient, and the presence of insulation.
metal conducts heatEverything conducts heat, to a greater or lesser extent.
-- When the heat causes the substance to melt or vaporize. -- When heat is being leaked out of the substance at the same rate somewhere else.
A good thermal conductor is a piece of material that conducts heat fast. This means it accepts heat readily but it also looses heat at the same rate of change.
Insulator