Final answer:
Air transfers heat efficiently through convection currents rather than conduction. The answer to the student's question is 'a) Another through convection currents' as convection allows warm air to rise and cool air to sink, spreading the heat effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Air is a poor conductor of heat, which means it does not easily allow heat to pass through it by direct contact between molecules, a process known as conduction.
However, air can transfer heat energy more efficiently through a process called convection. Convection involves the movement of warm air rising and cooler air sinking, creating a flow that can carry heat energy over greater distances.
In the provided context, a hot ground surface warms the air directly above it, and this heated air rises, forming convection currents. This is how air can carry energy rapidly from one region to another without relying on conduction, which is ineffective over macroscopic distances and short time spans.
The correct option for the question asked is 'a) Another through convection currents' since convection is the way air transfers heat by moving warmer air away from the ground and allowing cooler air to replace it.
In contrast, the transfer of heat through outer space, such as the heat from the Sun reaching Earth, occurs by radiation, which does not require a medium. Unlike conduction and convection, radiation involves the transmission of energy via electromagnetic waves. Option a) is the correct one.