Final answer:
The first component to receive heat from a processor is the heat sink, which directly absorbs and dissipates the heat before it reaches other parts like the cooling fan, motherboard, or power supply.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first component that will receive heat leaving a processor is the heat sink. The heat sink is attached directly to the processor and is designed to absorb and dissipate the heat produced by the processor before it spreads to other components. Once the heat sink absorbs the heat, it can then be dissipated into the surrounding air with the assistance of a cooling fan. However, if we consider the immediate contact with the processor and where the heat is transferred first, the heat sink is the correct answer.
In terms of basic electronics and thermodynamics, resistors are circuit elements that dissipate power in the form of heat. The heat you feel on your chair after standing up was transferred from your skin via conduction, which is the direct transfer of heat between objects in contact with each other. Lastly, when considering the work done on or by a system, or the heat into or out of a system, these terms are used to describe energy transfer in thermodynamic processes.