In science class, students drip wax on a copper rod at every centimeter of the rod's length. When the wax is solid, the students place one end of the rod on a hot plate. The students use a stopwatch to record the amount of time that passes before each drop of wax starts to melt. Which process are the students most likely investigating? A conduction of heat through the rod B. convection of heat from the rod to the wax C. transformation of metal in the rod into heat energy D. radiation of heat from the hot plate

Answer 1

The students are most likely investigating A. conduction of heat through the rod.

In this experiment, the copper rod is being heated from one end, and the heat travels along the rod through conduction. As the heat moves along the rod, it causes the wax at various points to melt, and the time it takes for each drop of wax to start melting provides information about how heat is conducted through the material of the rod.