Joshua T. answered • 01/02/21
Senior Chemical Engineer with Manufacturing Experience
Because the heating method is not specified, I will use separate examples for each method of heat transfer.
Conduction requires physical contact between materials in order for heat to transfer. For examples if the outside of the room is very hot, heat would spread to the walls, floor, and eventually the tables and chairs.
Convection requires a flow medium such as water or air to spread heat. If there was a heater in the room, the hot air would circulate everywhere in the room, transferring heat to anything the air touches.
Radiation is a little bit weird, as it spreads heat through electromagnetic waves. Essentially, even though there might not be air or even any contact between any material, heat will spread outwardly from a hot body to a colder body regardless. The sun is a good example of this. In a room, the hot heater itself will give off heat without physically contacting the unit in the same way you can feel the heat radiating from a hot oven. However, out of the three, radiation transfers the least amount of heat, as conduction and convection are much more effective.
