What Is Conduction?
Heat moving directly from one thing to another by touch, like the ground warming the air right next to it. In technical terms: Transfer of heat by molecular collisions down a temperature gradient without bulk motion; air is a poor conductor (thermal conductivity about 0.025 W per m per K), so conduction matters only within millimeters of the surface, beyond which convection and turbulence carry the heat.
Conduction In Plain English
Heat moving directly from one thing to another by touch, like the ground warming the air right next to it.
The Technical Definition
Transfer of heat by molecular collisions down a temperature gradient without bulk motion; air is a poor conductor (thermal conductivity about 0.025 W per m per K), so conduction matters only within millimeters of the surface, beyond which convection and turbulence carry the heat.
Lessons That Use Conduction
- Temperature And How Heat Moves Unit 1: The Atmosphere
