Name:

Date: 31st January 2015

1.0 Overview of Heat Transfer
Heat can be transferred from place to place, objects to objects through conduction, convection and radiation.
Heat is a form of energy and it can only flow or transfer from a region of higher temperature (more heat) to a
region of lower temperature (less heat). Hence, in summary, heat is transferred from a region of higher
temperature to a region of lower temperature through conduction, convection or radiation or any
combination of these 3 methods.
2.0 Conduction
Conduction is the process of heat transfer directly through a material primarily by molecular vibration. The
material itself does not move. Imagine placing one end of a metal rod through a flame, the metal particles at
that end will be energised and vibrate colliding with neighbouring molecules. These collisions enable the
transfer of heat. The metal rod itself is not moving.

3.0 Convection
Convection is the process where heat is carried from a region of higher temperature to a region of lower
temperature through the movement of a liquid and/or gas. When you boil water, the heated liquid at the
bottom will rise and push down the cooler liquid at the top. This cooler liquid will then reach the bottom and
gets heated up and proceeds to rise. This creates a cycle or convection currents.

4.0 Radiation
Light from the sun is brought to earth by large amounts of visible light waves as well as some amount of
infra-red and ultraviolet waves (recall: these waves can be found in your electromagnetic spectrum, and
light does not travel in a straight line but in a wave-like pattern). Hence radiation is the transfer of heat by
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means of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves can travel through vacuum, hence radiation allows
for heat transfer through vacuum. A vacuum in scientific definition is a region of space that does not contain
matter, i.e. the space between the sun and earth. However the sun and earth are matter. Hence the vacuum is
the empty space between these two matters. Conduction and convection require matter. However radiation
does not, this is because electromagnetic waves themselves are not matter (they do not occupy space and
does not have mass). Radiation does not require molecular vibrations or circulation of liquids to transfer
heat. Please note that radiation can occur in vacuum and also in the presence of matter (on earth).
Electromagnetic waves can pass around and through matter.
Vacuum

5.0 Activity
Label on the blanks in the diagram below the most suitable heat transfer method that is occurring from the
fire and briefly explain how each heat transfer method works and the medium it requires.

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