This is because Hg is an abbreviation of the Latin name of the element, which was hydrargium. With this name the Greeks were referring to the fact that mercury is a silvery liquid at room temperature, rather than a solid like other metals.
We've looked at the three types of heat transfer. Conduction and convection rely on temperature differences; radiation does, too, but with radiation the absolute temperature is important.
Heat can be transferred from place to place by conduction [conduction: The transfer of heat energy through a material - without the material itself moving. ], convection [convection: The transfer of heat energy through a moving liquid or gas. ] and radiation [infrared radiation: Electromagnetic radiation emitted from a hot object. ]. Dark matt surfaces are better at absorbing heat energy than light shiny surfaces. Heat energy can be lost from homes in many different ways and there are ways of reducing these heat losses.