The type of heat transfer that occurs when heat is transferred from one item to another through direct contact is called

• A. Convection
• B. Induction
• C. Conduction
• D. Radiation

Answer: (C)

Direct contact transfers heat through conduction. When two objects touch, energy moves from the hotter one to the cooler one by particle interactions—vibrations passing from molecule to molecule and, in metals, fast-moving electrons carrying energy across the contact surface. The rate of conduction depends on how well the surfaces touch and the material’s ability to conduct heat; metals with high thermal conductivity transfer heat quickly, which is why a hot pot can make a metal spoon warm along its length.

Convection requires movement of a fluid carrying energy with it, and radiation transfers energy as waves through space without any contact. Induction heating uses a changing magnetic field to heat metal, typically without direct contact. Therefore, the heat transfer by direct contact is conduction.