Exactly what would happen if a beaker of water was heated from the side as opposed to

ybhathena

the bottom. Would it still obey the laws of convection, how would it?

NascentOxygen

The law of convection being ... what, that the hot stuff rises? Then, sure, that will always continue to apply.

This does sound like a good homework question, ybhathena, so maybe I shouldn't say too much. It might be for you to think through.

On a practical level, in the lab have you tried heating a test-tube containing liquid (e.g., water) from the side? (Over a Bunsen flame, of course.)

What lesson did you learn from that? Can you explain it?