Question #b0fc1
1 Answer
This question is interesting because you are observing heat transfer from the viewpoint of the insulator as opposed to the heat source. So let's see how they work.
Explanation:
When we talk about radiation, it is considered to be heat generated by a point source, such as a furnace, metal radiator, cooker, or if you want to go really big, the sun. Radiation points the energy directly at you.
When convection is discussed, it is usually heat emanating from a wide area such as a loft, or a field of summer fallow, or an entire country. Convection is energy transfer through movement of air in large circular patterns.
Conduction occurs on direct contact, or when you touch it.
That is the difference between the sources of heat, and as you have noticed that we use basically the same material when we want to prevent heat loss from any of them.
After we have straightened that out, I see they have invented convection ovens so our original point source radiating oven can now do both.
