Heat Transfer Conduction - Heat transferred from warmer to cooler areas in solid objects In the oven, the metal tray heats up and helps transfer heat to the biscuits Metal is a good conductor Heat moves from the burner to the pot Most pots have plastic handles Wood and plastic are not good conductors They are called insulators Heat from the hot drink moves to the mug Convection - Heat transferred through currents in liquids or gases Warm gas or liquid rises Cooler gas or liquid sinks The movement of the liquid or gas is called a convection current The air, which is a gas, is heated right in front of the heater Warm air is lighter than cool air, so it rises Cool air comes down to take its place This then gets warmed and rises A fish tank heater heats water Heat moves in a circular motion Radiation - Heat transferred through infrared rays Radiation is the spreading out of heat rays We feel heat from the Sun as it travels to the Earth by infrared rays All objects give out and take in thermal radiation, which is also called infrared radiation The hotter an object is, the more infrared radiation it emits We feel heat from a light bulb as it radiates heat into the surrounding air A fire is an example of radiant heat No particles are involved in the process of radiation, unlike conduction and convection Radiation can even work in space