What is Conduction, Convection, and Radiation?
These are the three ways that heat travels. Understanding each is essential to understanding how to properly insulate any structure. CONDUCTION is direct heat flow through solid matter, via molecular motion. It occurs when heat from one molecule transfers its heat to an adjacent molecule. CONVECTION occurs with the physical movement of an entire mass of air. Warm air is lighter than cold air, and therefore rises while cold air falls. Through circulation, the warm masses exchange heat energy with cooler masses. RADIATION, or RADIANT TRANSFER, occurs whenever an object is warmer than the air surrounding it. The warm object RADIATES heat into the cooler airspace in the form of invisible infrared waves. For example, when the exterior surfaces of a building are hotter than the interior air, that heat RADIATES toward the inside of the building. Likewise, when the interior is warmer than outside, the heat from the building RADIATES outward to the cooler outside air. The greater the temperatur
