Which statement describes energy transfer by conduction?

Which statement describes energy transfer by conduction?

• A. Energy transfer by radiation
• B. Energy transfer by waves
• C. Energy transfer through direct contact between objects
• D. Energy transfer by chemical processes

Answer: (C)

Conduction is energy transfer through direct contact between objects. When two objects touch, the particles in the hotter object have more kinetic energy and collide with particles in the cooler object, passing some of that energy along. This exchange continues until both objects reach the same temperature or contact ends. A metal spoon getting warm from hot soup is a familiar example: heat travels along the spoon from the hot region to the cooler region. Energy can move without contact as well—through radiation, which is energy carried by electromagnetic waves (like sunlight warming your skin), or through chemical processes, where energy is released or absorbed during reactions inside a substance. But conduction specifically requires physical contact to transfer energy between objects.

Conduction is energy transfer through direct contact between objects. When two objects touch, the particles in the hotter object have more kinetic energy and collide with particles in the cooler object, passing some of that energy along. This exchange continues until both objects reach the same temperature or contact ends. A metal spoon getting warm from hot soup is a familiar example: heat travels along the spoon from the hot region to the cooler region.

Energy can move without contact as well—through radiation, which is energy carried by electromagnetic waves (like sunlight warming your skin), or through chemical processes, where energy is released or absorbed during reactions inside a substance. But conduction specifically requires physical contact to transfer energy between objects.