Key Differences Between Conduction, Convection, and Radiation
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Conduction:
- This is when heat moves through direct contact.
- It usually happens in solids.
- For example, if you put a metal spoon in hot soup, the spoon will get hot and reach the same temperature as the soup.
- Metals, like aluminum, are good at conducting heat. Aluminum conducts heat much better than wood.
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Convection:
- This is how heat moves through liquids and gases.
- In convection, the fluid itself is moving.
- For example, warm air goes up while cooler air sinks. This movement creates what we call convection currents.
- In most homes, the air moves at around 0.1 meters per second.
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Radiation:
- This is when heat travels through electromagnetic waves.
- It doesn’t need anything to travel through.
- A good example is the heat we get from the sun; it reaches Earth through space.
- There’s a rule called the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, which says that the amount of power radiated changes with the temperature of the object.