at what rate does heat diffuse through solids?

Question

does heat diffuse faster than cold?

Answer 1

Mmmm, 'cold' doesn't really diffuse, it's always the heat energy which 'moves'.

How quickly heat diffuses depends on the solid.
A metal chair feels 'colder' to sit on than a wooden chair because the heat from your hinder diffuses more quickly into the metal than the wood.

A thermos or cooler works to keep things hot and to keep things cold in the same way- energy passes very slowly through such a medium.

Answer 2

For any given substance, heat and cold (the loss of heat) will diffuse at the same rate.

However, the rate differs for various substances. Heat will diffuse more slowly through wood than through metal, and even slower through an insulator. In fact, that's what insulation deals with, the rate at which heat (or cold) can diffuse.