What is the process called when heat is transferred within or between objects through direct contact?

The process of heat transfer that occurs through direct contact between objects is known as conduction. This occurs when warmer objects transfer their heat to cooler objects in direct physical contact with them. For instance, if you touch a hot stove, heat flows from the stove to your hand, causing the sensation of heat. This process is characterized by the movement of thermal energy through collisions between molecules or atoms, making conduction particularly effective in solid materials, where particles are closely packed together.

While convection refers to the heat transfer through fluids (liquids or gases) moving due to differences in temperature and density, and radiation involves the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves without the need for a medium (like the heat from the sun reaching the Earth), conduction specifically highlights the importance of direct contact between adjacent molecules. Insulation, on the other hand, refers to materials or methods used to reduce the transfer of heat and can impede conduction, rather than being a method of heat transfer itself. Thus, the correct answer pinpointing this specific type of heat transfer is conduction.