Which statement best defines conduction?

• A. Heat passes through a material
• B. Heat is stored as energy
• C. Heat is transferred by convection
• D. Heat is produced by chemical reactions

Answer: (A)

Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy within a material or between substances that are in direct contact, driven by a temperature difference. Heat moves from the hotter region to the cooler region inside the material itself, while the material stays in place overall. In solids, this happens through interactions between particles and, in metals, the swift movement of free electrons that carry energy quickly from hot to cold areas. An everyday example is a metal spoon warming up at the handle when the bowl end sits in hot soup.

This matches the idea that heat passes through a material, which is exactly what conduction describes. The other statements describe different concepts: heat stored as energy refers to energy content rather than transfer, convection involves heat carried by moving fluids, and heat produced by chemical reactions is heat generation, not transfer.