Physics · May / June 2025 · Paper 11 · Question 18

Thermal energy passes quickly from hot regions of a metal to cold regions of the metal. Why are metals good conductors of thermal energy?

1. AElectrons in the metal vibrate about fixed points and quickly pass energy from one electron to the next.
2. BElectrons move quickly from ions in hot regions to ions in cold regions.
3. CProtons in the metal are close together and move quickly from hot to cold regions.
4. DSmall ions of the metal move quickly from hot to cold regions through spaces in the metal lattice.

As printed in the paper