Which process describes the transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid?

The process that describes the transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid is convection. Convection occurs when warmer, less dense regions of a fluid rise while cooler, denser regions sink, creating a circular motion. This movement effectively transports heat energy throughout the fluid. Common examples of convection include the heating of water on a stove or the warm air rising in a room heated by a radiator.

Conduction, on the other hand, refers to the transfer of heat through direct contact between materials without the movement of the material itself. Refraction pertains to the bending of light as it passes through different mediums, and condensation involves the change of water vapor into liquid water, which is a phase change and not related to heat transfer through fluids. Thus, the specific movement of fluid as a mechanism of heat transfer characterizes convection.