Which of the following best describes conduction?

Conduction is best described as the transfer of heat through non-moving media. This process occurs primarily in solids, where thermal energy is transferred from one molecule to another through direct contact. When a material is heated, its molecules begin to vibrate. These vibrations are then passed to neighboring molecules, effectively transferring heat through the material without any overall movement of the substance itself.

For example, if one end of a metal rod is heated, the heat is transferred along the rod through conduction, allowing the entire rod to eventually reach a higher temperature. This characteristic makes conduction an efficient method of heat transfer in solid materials, especially metals.

In contrast, the other options refer to heat transfer mechanisms that involve either movement (like convection in fluids) or the interface between different materials, which can include conduction but does not specifically capture the essence of heat transfer through non-moving media.