Question

How do conduction, convection, and radiation work to transfer heat from an electric radiator in your bathroom?

Answer 1

Hint: Conduction is defined as the process of the transfer of thermal energy through direct contact. Convection is defined as the process of the transfer of thermal energy through the movement of the gas or the liquid. Radiation is the process of thermal energy through thermal emission.

Complete step by step answer:
An electric radiator is a device that works by converting electrical energy into heat. A resistor is present in the heater and due to this large resistivity of the resistor, when the current passes through it, the resistor heats up quickly. Thus as the resistor gets warm, the interior of the radiator also gets heated indicating that the air is warmed and thus it circulates the room through convection. Similarly, the surface of the radiator gets hot thereby releasing the heat out as radiation. Thus conduction also occurs and it will be highest near the resistor thereby achieving very high temperatures.

Thus the conduction, convection, and radiation will work to transfer the heat from an electric radiator.

Note:
• Usually conduction is the transfer of the heat energy by direct contact and convection is the process of the movement of heat by the actual motion of matter. Similarly, radiation is the process of the transfer of energy with the help of electromagnetic waves.
• Conduction and convection need matter to transfer the energy while radiation does not require matter for transferring the thermal energy.
• Conduction is a static process while convection is a method of heat transfer process as it adds the element of motion.