Illustration of convection currents

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    Convection Currents
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the illustration of convection currents, specifically how these illustrations relate to the transport of heat within air. Participants explore the implications of visual representations of convection currents and the underlying physical processes involved, including convection, diffusion, and conduction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the representation of convection currents, noting that heat is defined as moving from higher to lower temperatures and wonders if blue arrows (cooler currents) imply that such currents do not exist.
  • Another participant clarifies that there is a distinction between the movement of air and the transport of heat within that air.
  • A follow-up suggests that while heat transport may align with the direction of warmer currents at times, it can also occur in opposite or perpendicular directions.
  • Participants discuss whether the transport of heat within air refers to radiation or diffusion, ultimately concluding it refers to diffusion.
  • There is a question about whether diffusion is the same as conduction, with a response affirming this connection and providing a link for further reading.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between convection currents and heat transport, with no consensus reached on the implications of the illustrated arrows or the definitions of related processes.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved distinctions between convection, diffusion, and conduction, as well as the conditions under which heat transport occurs in relation to air movement.

Maxo
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When convection currents are illustrated they are often painted as arrows with red and blue color, the red one being the direction of warmer currents and the blue ones being the direction of cooler currents. See for example this picture:
image.png


But how does this go together with the fact that heat is defined as always going from parts of higher temperature to parts of lower temperature? Wouldn't that only be the red arrows then? Does that mean that the currents represented by blue arrows doesn't actually exist?
 
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You are confusing movement of air with transport of heat within air.
 
A.T. said:
You are confusing movement of air with transport of heat within air.

Ok, but wouldn't the transport of heat within air be in the same direction as the red arrows?
 
No, the molecular diffusion of heat will be from warm toward cold, or opposite to the direction of the (convection) arrows.
 
Maxo said:
Ok, but wouldn't the transport of heat within air be in the same direction as the red arrows?
At some points, but it can also be in the opposite direction or perpendicular to it.
 
When talking about transport of heat within air, is that referring to radiation?
 
Maxo said:
When talking about transport of heat within air, is that referring to radiation?
No, diffusion.
 
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A.T. said:
No, diffusion.

Is diffusion the same as conduction?
 

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