Question

You place a mug of hot tea in a cool room. What type of heat transfer do you use, what will happen and why and where will each form occur ?

Answer 1

Two of three types of heat transfer can happen in this situation: convection and conduction. Convection will happen when the steam from the tea rises into the air, cools, and sinks back toward the mug. If the tea is still warm when the steam reaches the mug again, the cycle will continue. Conduction happens when the heat is transferred from the mug to whatever surface the mug is sitting on.