What type of heat transfer involves the flow of gases or fluid from hotter to cooler areas?

The type of heat transfer that involves the flow of gases or fluids from areas of higher temperature to areas of lower temperature is convection. This process occurs because warmer fluids are less dense and rise, while cooler fluids are denser and sink, creating a continuous circulation pattern. In essence, convection is particularly important in scenarios involving heating and cooling in fluids, such as in the atmosphere or within heating systems.

This concept plays a critical role in firefighting as it helps firefighters understand how smoke and heat behave in a fire environment. For example, understanding convection allows firefighters to anticipate the movement of heat and smoke, thereby enabling safer and more effective tactics during a fire response.

In contrast, conduction refers to heat transfer through direct contact between materials, where heat moves from the hotter object to the cooler one without the movement of the material itself. Radiation involves the transfer of heat in the form of electromagnetic waves (such as infrared radiation), which can occur through a vacuum as well as through air. Convolution is not a relevant term related to heat transfer and does not apply in this context.