Which process is primarily responsible for transferring heat energy from the Sun to the Earth?

• A. Radiation
• B. Evaporation
• C. Convection
• D. Conduction

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the three main modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction involves direct contact between materials, convection involves fluid movement, and radiation involves energy transfer through electromagnetic waves.
2. Recognize that space between the Sun and Earth is a vacuum, meaning there is no medium (like air or water) to facilitate conduction or convection.
3. Since conduction and convection require a medium to transfer heat, they cannot be responsible for heat transfer through the vacuum of space.
4. Radiation, on the other hand, can transfer energy through empty space by electromagnetic waves, such as visible light and infrared radiation emitted by the Sun.
5. Therefore, the primary process responsible for transferring heat energy from the Sun to the Earth is radiation.