Science Energyusually ages 12–13

Conduction, convection, and radiation

Describe and compare the three mechanisms of heat transfer — conduction (particle vibration through solids), convection (fluid movement in liquids/gases), and radiation (infrared waves) — and explain that the rate of transfer depends on temperature difference

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Explains the particle-level mechanism for conduction and why metals are good conductors
Describes a convection current using particle theory and gives a real-world example
Explains that all objects emit and absorb infrared radiation and how surface colour affects this
States that a greater temperature difference increases the rate of heat transfer

🖨 Print this page to keep the checklist — it prints beautifully.

Try this together

If your child was heating soup on a hob and also warming their hands by a radiator, could they explain which type of heat transfer is happening in each case — and why the soup pot gets hot throughout even though it’s only heated at the bottom?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Energy stores and transfersages 11–12Conduction, convection and radiation are three of the pathways for energy transfer by heating — the stores/transfers framework provides the structure

The Particle Modelages 11–12Explaining conduction and convection at the particle level requires knowing the particle model of matter

Conduction, convection, and radiationthis skill · ages 12–13

Unlocks

Nothing on the map depends on this yet.

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

This skill sits beyond Year 6 in the Australian Curriculum, so no F–6 code is matched. It also sits beyond the NSW K–6 syllabuses. It also sits beyond Level 6 in the Victorian Curriculum.

Nearby on the map

Efficiency, Sankey diagrams, and work doneages 12–13 Heating experiments and Q = mcΔTages 12–13 Ohm's Law: voltage, current, resistanceages 12–13 Power: watts and energy per secondages 12–13

All Energy skills →