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Explanation of Heat Transfer with Hot Coffee - Succeed in Physical Science. Also refer to paper cup, Styrofoam, insulation, conduction, convection, corrugated holder, plastic lid, physics, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions Heat Transfer with Hot Coffeeby Ron Kurtus (3 April 2008) A good application of heat transfer can be seen when you buy a cup of hot coffee at your favorite coffee shop. The hot coffee heats the paper cup by conduction. The cup provides little insulation, so many coffee shops provide a cardboard insulator to protect your fingers from getting burned. A plastic top not only prevents spilling when you take out the coffee cup, but it also helps to reduce convection cooling of the coffee. Questions you may have include:
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson. Useful tools: Metric-English Conversion | Scientific Calculator. Paper cupThe typical take-out coffee cup is usually made of a heavy paper material. Although paper is a fair insulator, the cup material is thin enough that the hot coffee heats it by conduction, making the outside surface hot to the touch.
Paper coffee cup
The lip of the cup is rolled over for strength and so you won't cut you lips. Styrofoam coffee cupsStyrofoam coffee cups do a better job of insulating, because the material does not conduct heat well. Also, A Styrofoam cup is several times thicker than a paper coffee cup, adding to its insulating properties. Most businesses no longer use Styrofoam cups because they are not biodegradable and are thus not good for the environment. There also is concern about chemicals from the Styrofoam leaching into the hot coffee. Cup holderSince the paper coffee cup gets so hot, many coffee shops provide a thin cardboard holder so that you won't burn your fingers when holding the cup.
Coffee cup holder prevents burned fingers The holder is corrugated, such that are there air gaps and only the ridges touch the cup.
Coffee cup holder has ridges inside The air gaps mean the heat transfer must be done by convection, which is less effective than conduction. With only the ridges of the holder touching the hot cup, much less heat transfer by conduction occurs. LidUsually, a plastic lid is included with the take-out coffee cup.
Coffee cup with lid This is primarily to prevent spilling the coffee when you walk or drive. But also, the lid traps in the hot air surrounding the coffee, preventing heat loss from convection. SummaryHeat transfer can be seen when you buy a cup of hot coffee, which heats the paper cup by conduction. The cup provides little insulation, so a cardboard insulator is provided to protect your fingers from getting burned. A plastic top prevents spilling and helps to reduce convection cooling of the coffee. Savor the aroma of life ResourcesThe following resources provide information on this subject: WebsitesBooks
Top-rated books on Physical Science MiscellaneousMini-quiz to check your understanding1. How does the paper cup get heated by the hot coffee? 2. Does heat get transferred through the cardboard holder? 3. Why does the lid have a hole in it? If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physical Science. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again. What do you think?Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Share linkFeel free to establish a link from your website to pages in this site. 
Or use our form to send this link to yourself or a friend. Students and researchersThe Web address of this page is Please include it as a reference in your report, document, or thesis. Where can you go from here?
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