Heat can spread out in all directions. There are three main ways for heat to travel:Radiation: All wavelengths of electromagnetic waves, including light, carry energy. When the electromagnetic waves strike an object, they are partially absorbed and the energy that the waves carried is converted to heat in the object. Also, hot objects emit electromagnetic waves ("thermal radiation") that carry away energy and can heat up other objects that they hit. In a loose sense, you can think of electromagnetic waves as transferring heat from one object to the next. Although, strictly speaking, when the waves are traveling they are only carrying electromagnetic field energy and not heat. The heat is generated when the waves are absorbed by matter.Conduction: When one hot object is in direct contact with another object, the heat can pass directly from the one object to the other through the touching surfaces.Convection. When a fluid such as air or water touches a hot object, it can heat up and then move in bulk as a fluid, thereby carrying the heat quickly to new locations. Hot air rising is a common example of heat convection. For this reason, "heat" and "hot air" tend to be confused with each other.