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Describe a situation in which heat transfer occurs.

a) When a cup of coffee cools down.
b) When a book is placed on a shelf.
c) When a car accelerates on a highway.
d) When sunlight warms the Earth's surface.

User Ed Michel
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Final answer:

Heat transfer can occur in various situations such as a cooling cup of coffee (conduction and convection) or the warming of Earth's surface by sunlight (radiation). Each mode of heat transfer - conduction, convection, and radiation - has common examples in daily life.

Step-by-step explanation:

Heat transfer is the movement of thermal energy from one place or material to another due to temperature differences. One example of heat transfer is when a cup of coffee cools down (a), which is primarily a result of conduction and convection. The coffee cup transfers heat to the surrounding air; as the coffee's temperature drops, it results in heat loss.

Conversely, when sunlight warms the Earth's surface (d), it is an example of radiation, where heat is transferred through electromagnetic waves without the need for a medium.

Each mode of heat transfer - conduction, convection, and radiation - can be found in various scenarios in daily life. Conduction occurs when you hold a hot cup, feeling the heat transfer into your hands. Convection occurs when cold milk is steamed to make hot cocoa, as the heat is transferred by the movement of the fluids involved.

And radiation can be experienced when reheating a cold cup of coffee in a microwave oven, where electromagnetic waves transfer the heat.

User Walker Farrow
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