ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)General Science (GS)Medium
A space probe is designed to withstand extreme temperature variations. Which of the following mechanisms is the primary way heat is transferred from the sun to the probe through the vacuum of space?
- AConvection
- BRadiation
- CAbsorption
- DConduction
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Radiation
Radiation is the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves, which does not require a medium. This is the primary way heat travels from the sun to Earth and other objects in the vacuum of space.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Convection requires the movement of fluids (liquids or gases), which are absent in the vacuum of space.
- C. Absorption is the process by which a material takes in radiant energy, but it is not a mechanism of heat transfer itself.
- D. Conduction requires direct contact between objects or particles, which is absent in space.
Heat Transfer Mechanisms
The three fundamental ways thermal energy moves from one place to another.
- Conduction: Direct contact.
- Convection: Fluid movement.
- Radiation: Electromagnetic waves, no medium needed.
Memory trick: Radiant rays reach without a road.