Question

Which statement describes energy transfer by conduction?

a) The warm Gulf Stream warms the European coast.

b) You cool off by standing in a cool breeze.

c) A spoon heats up while sitting in a bowl of soup.

d) A cat warms up by sitting in a patch of sunlight.

Answer 1

c) A spoon heats up while sitting in a bowl of soup.

Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy between substances (liquids or solids) that are in direct contact with each other. Metals and water are good conductors of heat. Conduction is observed when molecules from one substance (i.e., soup) directly bump into the particles of another substance (i.e., spoon) transferring heat.