What is the transfer of heat through the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves called?

The transfer of heat through the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic waves is known as radiation. This process does not require a medium, which means that heat can travel through the vacuum of space, as occurs with sunlight reaching the Earth. Radiation involves the emission of energy from a source, such as a fire or the Sun, which then travels through the air (or even through a vacuum) and can be absorbed by other objects, increasing their temperature.

In contrast, conduction involves the direct transfer of heat between materials that are in direct contact, where energy moves from the hotter region to the cooler one. Convection refers to the transfer of heat in fluids (liquids and gases) that occurs due to the movement of the fluid itself, usually driven by differences in temperature and density. Diffusion, while related to the spread of particles from areas of higher concentration to lower concentration, is not a heat transfer mechanism and therefore is not applicable to this context.