What is the primary form of energy transfer involved when touching a hot object?

When touching a hot object, the primary form of energy transfer occurring is conduction. This process involves the direct transfer of thermal energy through physical contact between the hot object and your skin. In conduction, faster-moving particles in the hot object collide with slower-moving particles in your skin, resulting in a transfer of energy that raises the temperature of your skin.

Convection, on the other hand, involves the movement of fluids (liquids or gases) and the transfer of heat via the movement of the warmer fluid away from the heat source, which is not applicable when you are merely touching an object. Radiation refers to energy transfer through electromagnetic waves, like sunlight warming your skin, but it does not involve contact. Diffusion typically refers to the movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration and is unrelated to thermal energy transfer in this context.

Thus, when experiencing the sensation of heat from a hot object due to direct contact, conduction is clearly the mechanism at play, making it the correct answer.