Which heat transfer method involves heat moving through a fluid or between surfaces due to fluid flow?

Which heat transfer method involves heat moving through a fluid or between surfaces due to fluid flow?

• A. Conduction
• B. Convection (airflow across cooling fins)
• C. Radiation
• D. Evaporation

Answer: (B)

Convection is heat transfer through a fluid caused by the movement of the fluid itself or by its flow over a surface. When air moves across cooling fins, it carries heat away from the fins, which is an example of forced convection. Conduction would be heat transfer through a solid or stationary fluid by molecular contact, radiation is energy transfer by electromagnetic waves without relying on a medium, and evaporation involves a phase change that can contribute to cooling but is not the mechanism described by fluid flow.

Convection is heat transfer through a fluid caused by the movement of the fluid itself or by its flow over a surface. When air moves across cooling fins, it carries heat away from the fins, which is an example of forced convection. Conduction would be heat transfer through a solid or stationary fluid by molecular contact, radiation is energy transfer by electromagnetic waves without relying on a medium, and evaporation involves a phase change that can contribute to cooling but is not the mechanism described by fluid flow.