Name: Abigail B.
In each of the following situations, identify the method of heat transfer taking place
(conduction, convection, radiation). More than one process may be occurring.
1. Hot coffee is stirred with a spoon, the spoon gets hot due to conduction.
Explanation: The hot coffee makes direct contact with the spoon.
2. A chair is placed several feet from a fire in a fireplace. The fireplace has a glass screen. The
side of the chair facing the fireplace gets warm because of radiation.
Explanation: The fireplace is transmitting electromagnetic waves that you feel several feet away.
3. A certain type of decorative lamp contains colored liquids. These liquids form globs that break
off and rise to the top of the liquid. The globs rise due to convection.
Explanation: The colder liquid moves to the top of the lamp where it warms up and sinks again. The heat
is transferred by movement of the hotter substance from one place to another.
4. Near the ceiling of a room the air is warmer. The warm air rises because of convection.
Explanation: Heat rises and is transferred by movement of the hotter substance from one place to
another.
5. A college student holds the back of his hand near an iron to see if it is hot. Heat is transferred
to his hand by radiation.
Explanation: The iron is transmitting electromagnetic waves that the student felt on the back of his hand
as heat.
6. A heater is placed under one corner of a water bed mattress. Warm water moves throughout
the mattress because of convection.
Explanation: Warm water rises and colder water sinks only to be heated up by the heater to rise again,
and the heat is transferred by movement of the hotter substance from one place to another.
7. A certain type of stainless steel cookware has a layer of copper applied to the bottom to help it
heat evenly. The copper transfers heat to the pan by conduction.
Explanation: The copper is touching the pan directly.
8. In a swimming pool, the water near the surface is slightly warmer. The warm water rises
because of convection.
Explanation: The water is heated at the bottom of the pool and rises because as it warms up, it expands
and becomes less dense and rises.
9. One end of a copper rod is placed in a flame of a Bunsen burner. Small pieces of wax placed
along the rod melt at progressively larger distance from the flame. Heat is transferred through
the rod by conduction.
Explanation: The rod has direct contact with the flame, and the wax has direct contact with the heated
rod.
10. A house burns down. On the house across the street, all of the vinyl siding is twisted and
warped by the heat. The heat was transferred across the street by radiation.
Explanation: The heat from the fire at the house is transmitting electromagnetic waves to the house
across the street as heat.
11. Warm air over the beach rises while cooler dense air from the ocean rushes in due to convection.
Explanation: Heat is transferred by movement of the hotter substance from one place to another as hot
air rises and cold air sinks.
12. The metal skewer gets so hot that you drop your marshmallow in the campfire because of conduction.
Explanation: The metal rod has direct contact with the fire, and your hand has direct contact with the
rod, which has gotten quite hot from the fire.
13. A huge rock at the state park gets so hot during the day that you cant sit on it from radiation.
Explanation: The sun transmits electromagnetic waves to earth, which heats the rock.
14. You lay on that same rock at night so that you can keep warm by conduction.
Explanation: You have direct contact with the hot rock.
15. A fireman feels a door and it is hot from the fire on the other side due to conduction.
Explanation: The door has direct contact with the fire, and thus makes the door hot.
16. The cause of weather systems on earth is convection.
Explanation: Hot air is always rising and cold air is always sinking and forming air currents, the same
thing happens in the water, and all of this forms different weather systems.
17.You are in the top bunk of a bunk bed and you want to turn the air conditioner on while your
friend on the bottom bunk is fine is caused by convection.
Explanation: Heat is transferred by movement of the hotter substance from one place to another. The hot
air rises, which makes the person on the top bunk warmer, and cold air sinks, which cools off the person on the
bottom bunk.
