Heated air that becomes less dense and rises is an example of what?

The choice of convection as the correct answer is based on the fundamental principles of heat transfer. Convection is the process by which heat is transferred through fluids, including liquids and gases, due to the movement of the fluid itself. In the case of heated air, when air is heated, it becomes less dense than the surrounding cooler air. This decrease in density causes the heated air to rise, creating a flow where cooler air moves in to replace it.

This circulation pattern is a key characteristic of convection, demonstrating how heat can distribute itself through a fluid medium. This process is commonly observed in various natural phenomena, such as in the heating of a room or the formation of weather patterns.

Other methods of heat transfer, such as conduction, involve direct transfer of heat through materials without the movement of the material itself. Radiation refers to the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves without the need for a medium, and diffusion generally involves the spreading out of particles from areas of high concentration to low concentration, rather than heat transfer.