Heat transfer

How it is used

Conduction happens through solids by particle collisions, convection through liquids and gases as warmer regions rise, and radiation through infrared waves that can even cross a vacuum. Insulation, double glazing and vacuum flasks are designed to reduce heat transfer.

Example sentences

1. A vacuum flask reduces heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation.

2. The rate of heat transfer through the wall depends on its thickness and on the temperature difference.

Common collocations

• rate of heat transfer
• conduction
• convection
• thermal radiation
• reduce heat transfer

Related terms

• heatEnergy that flows from a hotter object to a colder one because of the temperature difference between them. Like all energy, it is measured in joules (J).
• temperatureA measure of how hot or cold something is, linked to the average kinetic energy of its particles. In science it is measured in kelvin (K) or degrees Celsius (°C).
• specific heat capacityThe energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 K (or 1 °C). Water has a high value, about 4200 J/(kg·K).
• entropyA measure of how spread out, or disordered, the energy of a system is. In an isolated system the total entropy never decreases, which is one way of stating the second law of thermodynamics.
• electromagnetic spectrumThe full range of electromagnetic waves, ordered by wavelength or frequency: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• heat transfer · Mechanical Engineering

More terms: Heat and Thermodynamics

• pressure
• first law of thermodynamics
• ideal gas law
• latent heat
• absolute zero