What is the term for the transfer of heat through direct contact?

The term for the transfer of heat through direct contact is conduction. This process occurs when two objects at different temperatures come into contact with each other, resulting in the transfer of thermal energy from the hotter object to the cooler one until they reach thermal equilibrium. For example, if you touch a metal spoon that has been sitting in a pot of hot soup, heat flows from the soup into the spoon through the process of conduction.

Understanding conduction is essential in various fields, such as physics and engineering, as it explains how heat is transferred in solid materials. It differs from convection, which involves the movement of fluids, and radiation, which involves heat transfer through electromagnetic waves without requiring contact or a medium. Insulation, while related to heat transfer, refers to materials or techniques that reduce the transfer of heat, rather than describing a method of heat transfer itself.