There are three main ways heat can transfer:
* Conduction: Heat transfer through direct contact between molecules. This is how a metal spoon heats up when you stir hot soup.
* Convection: Heat transfer through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases). This is how a radiator heats up a room, or how boiling water heats up the pot it's in.
* Radiation: Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves. This is how the sun warms the Earth, or how you feel the heat from a fireplace.
The specific way heat transfers depends on the materials involved and the situation. But in all cases, the overall effect is that heat energy moves from the hotter substance to the colder substance until they reach a thermal equilibrium (the same temperature).
