Which method transfers heat efficiently from a hot stove to a pot via direct contact?

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

Answer: (A)

Conduction is the process by which heat moves through direct contact between substances. When the hot stove surface touches the bottom of the pot, the energetic particles in the stove collide with the pot’s particles and transfer some of their kinetic energy. Metals are especially good at this because their particles can transfer energy quickly, so heat flows efficiently from the stove into the pot through that direct contact.

The other methods don’t apply here: convection requires moving fluids to carry heat, which isn’t the mechanism at the solid-stove interface; radiation transfers heat via infrared waves and doesn’t require contact; induction heats the pot by magnetic fields and currents rather than by direct contact with the hot surface.