What are convection currents currents?

Convection currents are the result of differential heating. Lighter (less dense), warm material rises while heavier (more dense) cool material sinks. It is this movement that creates circulation patterns known as convection currents in the atmosphere, in water, and in the mantle of Earth.

What are the 3 convection currents?

Convection currents occur within:

  • the geosphere – plate tectonics.
  • the atmosphere – wind.
  • the hydrosphere – ocean currents.

Is burning of wood an example of convection current?

Convection wood fires draw in air from floor level, that then gets heated and rises away from the fire into the room. This cyclic convection air-current means that the hottest air in the room rises up to the ceiling with the warmer air remaining in the lower part of your room.

What is convection in simple words?

Definition of convection 1 : the action or process of conveying. 2a : movement in a gas or liquid in which the warmer parts move up and the cooler parts move down convection currents.

What happens during convection?

convection, process by which heat is transferred by movement of a heated fluid such as air or water. Natural convection results from the tendency of most fluids to expand when heated—i.e., to become less dense and to rise as a result of the increased buoyancy.

How does air move in a convection current?

Convection currents rely on the constant cyclical motion of air, water and other substances to distribute heat. As heated air rises, for example, it pulls cooler air into its place — where it can be heated, rise, and pull in more cool air.

Is warming of spoon a convection current?

HEAT TRANSFER There are three main mechanisms of heat transfer: Observation 1: If a metal spoon is dipped into a cup of hot water, the end of the spoon soon feels warm. Heat is transferred along the spoon by conduction.

Is a hair dryer convection?

Hair dryers use the motor-driven fan and the heating element to transform electric energy into convective heat. The whole mechanism is really simple: When you plug in the hair dryer and turn the switch to “on,” current flows through the hair dryer.