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What is Heat?
All matter is made up of molecules and atoms.
These atoms are always in different types of motion (translation, rotational,
vibrational).
The motion of atoms and molecules creates heat
or thermal energy. All matter has this thermal energy. The more motion the
atoms or molecules have the more heat or thermal energy they will have.
What is temperature?
Some atoms and molecules move faster than
others. Temperature is an average value of energy for all the atoms and
molecules in a given system.
Temperature is independent of how much matter
there is in the system. It is simply an average of the energy in the system.
How is heat transferred?
Heat can travel from one place to another in
three ways: Conduction, Convection and Radiation. Both conduction and convection
require matter to transfer heat.
If there is a temperature difference between two
systems heat will always find a way to transfer from the higher to lower
system.
CONDUCTION
Conduction is the transfer of heat between
substances that are in direct contact with each other. The better the
conductor, the more rapidly heat will be transferred.
Metal is a good conductor of heat. Conduction
occurs when a substance is heated, particles will gain more energy, and vibrate
more.
These molecules then bump into nearby particles
and transfer some of their energy to them. This then continues and passes the
energy from the hot end down to the colder end of the substance.
CONVECTION
Thermal energy is transferred from hot places to
cold places by convection. Convection occurs when warmer areas of a liquid or
gas rise to cooler areas in the liquid or gas.
Cooler liquid or gas then takes the place of the
warmer areas which have risen higher. This results in a continuous circulation
pattern.
Water boiling in a pan is a good example of
these convection currents.
Another good example of convection is in the
atmosphere. The earth's surface is warmed by the sun, the warm air rises and
cool air moves in.
RADIATION
Radiation is a method of heat transfer that does
not rely upon any contact between the heat source and the heated object as is
the case with conduction and convection.
Heat can be transmitted through empty space by
thermal radiation often called infrared radiation. This is a type electromagnetic radiation.
No mass is exchanged and no medium is required
in the process of radiation. Examples of radiation is the heat from the sun, or
heat released from the filament of a light bulb.
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