Three Roads for Heat
Conduction, convection, radiation
What this lesson covers
Why it matters
Heat reaches you three ways: creeping through a spoon, riding a current of air or water, or flying straight across empty space from the Sun. Three roads, three names.
Predict first
The Sun's heat reaches Earth by…
Between Sun and Earth is vacuum — nothing to touch, nothing to flow. Only radiation makes the trip.
- radiation — it crosses empty space, no medium needed — correct
- conduction
- convection
What you do
Name the road each heat journey takes — spoon, breeze, sunshine and more.
Check yourself
Water in a pot heats evenly because of…
Liquids and gases carry heat by MOVING — the circulating loop cooks your rice.
Sea breeze blows from sea to land on a hot day because…
A convection current the size of a coastline — beach umbrellas flutter to physics.
Conduction is the MAIN road for heat in…
Fixed particles pass the jiggle along the chain — the solid's only option.
- convection — hot water rises, cool water sinks, a loop forms — correct
- conduction only
- radiation from the lid
- land heats faster; hot air above it rises and cooler sea air flows in — correct
- the sea pushes air
- fish fan the water
- solids — correct
- liquids
- vacuum