Conduction is defined as which of the following?

Conduction is defined as which of the following?

• A. Transfer of heat within an object or to another object by direct contact
• B. Transfer of heat energy through fluids
• C. Movement of heat energy from a solid to a fluid
• D. Transmission of energy as an electromagnetic wave

Answer: (B)

Conduction is heat transfer by direct contact, moving heat through a substance or between substances that touch. In solids, energy passes from hotter regions to cooler ones as particles collide and electrons carry energy to neighboring particles, so heat flows through the material. This is why a metal spoon left in hot liquid warms along its length—the heat is being conducted along the spoon by contact. Conduction can occur at the boundary between a solid and a fluid as well, but the essential idea is transfer due to contact rather than movement of the fluid itself. By contrast, convection is heat transfer through fluids driven by the actual motion of the fluid (hot portions rise, cool portions sink), and radiation is energy transferred as electromagnetic waves without needing contact or a medium. So conduction is transfer of heat within an object or between objects by direct contact.

Conduction is heat transfer by direct contact, moving heat through a substance or between substances that touch. In solids, energy passes from hotter regions to cooler ones as particles collide and electrons carry energy to neighboring particles, so heat flows through the material. This is why a metal spoon left in hot liquid warms along its length—the heat is being conducted along the spoon by contact. Conduction can occur at the boundary between a solid and a fluid as well, but the essential idea is transfer due to contact rather than movement of the fluid itself. By contrast, convection is heat transfer through fluids driven by the actual motion of the fluid (hot portions rise, cool portions sink), and radiation is energy transferred as electromagnetic waves without needing contact or a medium. So conduction is transfer of heat within an object or between objects by direct contact.