Heating the reaction flask on a hot plate is an example of supplying activation energy to begin a reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Definition:
Activation energy is defined as the minimum amount of energy required to start a particular chemical reaction.
For example: When hydrogen and oxygen are mixed together it does not immediately start the reaction to form water. So, to start the reaction a small electric spark is provided or it is heated to provide some energy. This energy causes the molecules of hydrogen and water to react, thus producing even more molecules to react and finally water is formed.
Here the electric spark or the heat provided is the activation energy.