When a metal spoon is placed in a pot of boiling water, which mechanism is primarily responsible for the transfer of heat from the water to the spoon?

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

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the different heat transfer mechanisms: evaporation (a phase change process), radiation (transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves), convection (heat transfer through fluid motion), and conduction (direct transfer of heat through a solid or between solids in contact).
2. Consider the scenario: a metal spoon is placed in boiling water. The spoon is in direct contact with the hot water, which is a fluid.
3. Since the spoon is a solid and is touching the hot water, heat transfer occurs through the direct contact between the water molecules and the spoon's surface.
4. This direct transfer of thermal energy from the water molecules to the spoon's molecules without the movement of the spoon itself is called conduction.
5. Therefore, conduction is the primary mechanism responsible for transferring heat from the boiling water to the metal spoon.