A heated surface dissipates heat to the surrounding fluid primarily through a process called convection. Heat is also dissipated by conduction and radiation, however these effects are not considered in this experiment. Air in contact with the hot surface is heated by the surface and rises due to reduction in density. The heated air is replaced by cooler air, which is in turn heated by the surface, and rises. This process is called free convection.
Convection heat transfer from an object can be improved by increasing the surface area in contact with the air. In practical it may be difficult to increase the size of the body to suit. In these circumstances the surface area in contact with the air may be increased by adding fins or pins normal to the surface. These features are called extended surfaces. A typical example is the use of fins on the cylinder and head on an air-cooled petrol engine. The effect of extended surfaces can be demonstrated by comparing finned and pinned surfaces with a flat under the same conditions of power input and airflow.