Radiator facts for kids
A radiator is a clever device that helps move heat around. It can either cool things down, like a car engine, or warm things up, like a room in your house. Think of it as a heat exchanger, moving warmth from one place to another.
How Radiators Keep Engines Cool
Most cars use a radiator to stop their engines from getting too hot. When a car engine works, it burns fuel to create power. This process makes a lot of heat. If this heat isn't removed, the engine can overheat and stop working. The radiator is connected to the engine by special hoses.
A special liquid, often called coolant, flows into the engine. This liquid picks up the heat from the hot engine. Heat naturally moves from hotter things to cooler things. This is a basic rule of physics.
After collecting the heat, the warm liquid flows into the radiator. The radiator has many small tubes. Air flows around these tubes, cooling them down. As the tubes cool, they cool the liquid inside. Once the liquid is cool again, it flows back to the engine. This whole process is a continuous loop, keeping the engine at the right temperature.
How Radiators Heat Your Home
Many houses are in places that get very cold. To keep people comfortable, heat needs to be added to the house. A radiator is placed in a room to add warmth. The heat usually comes from a furnace or boiler.
A heating radiator works much like a cooling radiator, but in reverse. Heat from the furnace moves into the radiator. Since the room is cooler than the radiator, the heat naturally moves from the radiator into the room. This warms up the space, making it cozy.
Images for kids
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A cast iron convector radiator from 1904
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A panel convector radiator, typical of a standard central heating system in the UK
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Car engine bay, with radiator in front
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Auto radiators with double grids of tubes: staggered grids on the left, parallel grids on the right
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A passive heatsink on a motherboard
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See also
In Spanish: Radiador para niños
