KS1 (Age 5-7)KS2 (Age 7-11)11 Plus (Age 7-11)KS3 (Age 11-14)GCSE (Age 14-17)PSHE A.I.ESL Spanish Specialist Games

Need help with Energy - Transfer by Heating? Ask our AI Tutor!

AI Tutor - Lucy

Connecting with Tutor...

Please wait while we establish connection

Hi! I'm Lucy, your AI tutor. How can I help you with Energy - Transfer by Heating today?

now

Metals are good conductors of heat because they have free electrons.

Energy - Transfer by Heating

Energy transfer by heating links conduction, convection, and radiation. This GCSE Physics quiz shows how particles and currents affect heat flow in real situations.

Explore the Topic →

(quiz starts below)

Fascinating Fact:

Convection is energy transfer in liquids and gases, where warmer, less dense regions rise and cooler, denser regions sink.

In GCSE Physics, energy transfer by heating explains how conduction, convection, and infrared radiation move energy. You use particle models to understand insulation, heating systems, and everyday temperature changes.

Key Terms

Conduction: Transfer of energy through a solid when vibrating particles pass energy to their neighbours.
Convection: Transfer of energy in a fluid caused by warmer, less dense regions rising and cooler regions sinking.
Thermal conductor: A material that allows energy to be transferred quickly by conduction, such as metals.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is convection in GCSE Physics?

Convection is energy transfer in liquids and gases. Warmer, less dense fluid rises, cooler, denser fluid sinks, creating convection currents that move energy from one place to another.

What is the difference between conduction and convection?

Conduction mainly happens in solids when neighbouring particles pass on energy by collisions. Convection happens in fluids when whole regions of the liquid or gas move and carry energy with them.

How can homes be insulated against heat transfer?

Homes can be insulated by using loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing, and draught excluders. These methods reduce conduction, convection, and radiation, so less heat is lost.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Which surface is the best reflector of heat?

Red surface

Black surface

Blue surface

Shiny white surface

Any surface that reflects light efficiently will also reflect infrared radiation effectively too. Remember, heat radiation is made from infrared radiation, a member of the electromagnetic spectrum just beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum

2 .

What kind of surfaces is heat radiation emitted from?

Shiny surfaces

Dark surfaces

All surfaces

Kitchen surfaces

Any object with a temperature above absolute zero will emit heat radiation (infrared radiation). Hotter objects emit more than cooler ones

3 .

Which of the following surfaces is the best absorber of heat?

Shiny surface

Black surface

White surface

Red surface

The best surface for absorbing heat is matt black, matt surfaces are better absorbers than shiny polished ones

4 .

What factor will cause an object to lose its heat energy the fastest?

Heating the object

A smaller temperature difference between the object and its surroundings

A larger temperature difference between the object and its surroundings

Encasing the object in a blanket

A larger temperature difference means that the heat will be lost at a much faster pace as there is more energy to radiate to the environment. We call the temperature difference a temperature gradient. The bigger the gradient, the faster the heat flows and vice-versa. You will have noticed exactly this effect when plotting cooling curves on graph paper

5 .

Which sentence best describes how conduction works?

Conduction involves vibrating particles passing the heat energy along

The heat is radiated into the surroundings

Warm particles rise and cold particles fall

Particles do not make contact with each other but are heated individually via an external source

This is the other reason why metals are good heat conductors - their particles are very closely packed so the vibrations are easily passed from one atom to the next

6 .

What does the transfer of energy by conduction, convection and evaporation involve?

Radio waves

Particles

Sound waves

UV waves

All these processes need particles to occur. In conduction, the particles vibrate next to each other and pass heat on through the vibrations. In convection, the hotter particles vibrate more vigorously so they move further apart. This means the density of the hotter gas or liquid is lower so it rises through the colder parts which are more dense

7 .

Which of the following is one reason why metals are good conductors of heat?

They are shiny

They have free electrons

They have a high resistance

They are rigid

Metals are good conductors because the free electrons within them are able to move throughout the material, helping to transfer the heat quickly

8 .

How does heat transfer through the vacuum of space?

By radiation

By conduction

By spacecraft

It doesn't

Space is a vacuum and as such there are no particles in it. This means that the only way for energy to travel through space is in the form of radiation as electromagnetic waves

9 .

What does the rate at which an object transfers energy by heating depend on?

Surface area and volume

The material from which the object is made

The nature of the surface with which the object is in contact

All of the above

Many factors affect the speed of transfer of thermal energy, not just the temperature gradient

10 .

What is evaporation?

The process during which fastest moving particles of a liquid escape from the liquid's surface

The vaporization of the entire mass of the liquid as heat energy is applied

It is the collective movement of molecules in liquids and gases

High energy particles knock lower energy particles out of the liquid and into the air

During evaporation, because the highest energy particles escape, the liquid left behind has a lower temperature. You may have seen this demonstrated using a hygrometer

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Energy and heating

Author: Martin Moore