Final answer:
An iron touching a shirt to smooth out wrinkles is an example of conduction, a process where heat is transferred through direct physical contact and the motion of particles.
Step-by-step explanation:
An iron touching a shirt to smooth out the wrinkles is an example of heat conduction. This happens because when the iron, which has been heated, comes into contact with the cooler shirt, energy is transferred from the warmer iron to the cooler shirt. The molecules in the iron vibrate more quickly due to the heat and collide with the shirt molecules, causing them to increase their motion, translating to an increase in temperature and therefore smoothing out wrinkles.
Conduction is the transfer of heat through stationary matter by physical contact. This process involves the energetic motion of particles spreading heat, as seen when something like a steak is cooked on a hot skillet. The skillet's particles vibrate actively and collide with the steak's particles, thus transferring the heat energy. In the context of an ironing iron, is it the transfer of heat from the iron to the shirt that smooths the wrinkles.