CONDUCTION, CONVECTION AND RADIATION

CONDUCTION
Conduction is the transfer of heat within a substance or between substances that are in physical
contact with each other.
When a substance is heated at one end, the atoms gain kinetic energy and start to vibrate. These
vibrations cause the adjacent atoms to vibrate until heat energy is transferred to the other end.
Heat is also transferred through the movement of electrons. Normally, metals contain a sea of
electrons which are free to move around the atoms. When the metal is heated, the electrons gain
kinetic energy and move throughout the metal and therefore transfer heat energy from the hotter
to the colder side of the metal. This sea of electrons makes metals like copper, silver, iron and
steel good conductors of heat. Materials like woods and plastics do not have this sea of
electrons which makes them poor conductors (insulators).

CONVECTION
Convection is the transfer of heat by the up and down movement of fluids. When a fluid is
heated, its particles gain energy and move around more. The particles move far away from each
other and spread out. As a result, the density of the fluid is lowered. The hotter and less dense
fluid will therefore rise up while cooler substance having a higher density will sink. This causes
a convection current. Some examples of convection are:
Hot air balloon
Warmer water at the surface of a lake
Wind currents


RADIATION
Radiation is the transfer of heat through vacuum by the emission of electromagnetic waves.
Unlike conduction and convection, radiation does not need a medium to transfer energy. This
process does not require particles movement. Shiny surfaces emit or absorb radiation very slowly
since they reflect the radiation while dark surfaces emit or absorb radiation more effectively.
Some examples of radiation are:
Microwave oven
Heat energy from the sun
Light bulb

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