Unit 6: Heat & Gas Laws

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Unit 6: Heat & Gas Laws, aiding in understanding and retention of the material.

Pressure

The amount of force exerted per unit area of a surface.

Compressibility

A measure of how much the volume of matter decreases under pressure.

Volume

The amount of space an object takes up.

Charles' Law

The law that states that for a fixed amount of gas at a constant pressure, the volume of the gas increases as the temperature increases and decreases as the temperature decreases.

Boyle's Law

A principle that describes the relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas at constant temperature.

Gay-Lussac's Law

The pressure of a gas is directly proportional to the Kelvin temperature if the volume is constant.

Thermal energy

The total energy of motion in the particles of a substance.

Heat

The energy transferred between objects that are at different temperatures.

Specific heat

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.

Conduction

The direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching.

Convection

Process by which, in a fluid being heated, the warmer part rises and the cooler portions sink.

Radiation

Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays, waves, or particles.

Kinetic energy

The energy an object has due to its motion.

Closed system

A system in which no matter is allowed to enter or leave.

Density

The amount of matter in a given space; mass/volume.

Directly Proportional

The relationship between two variables whose ratio is a constant value.

Heat capacity

The number of heat units needed to raise the temperature of a body by one degree.

Insulator

A material that does not allow heat or electrons to move through it easily.

Inversely proportional

A relationship where two variables change in opposite directions by a constant ratio.

Molecular motion

The motion of atoms in an object, determined by the thermal energy.

Open system

A system in which matter can enter from or escape to the surroundings.

Specific heat capacity

The energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Temperature

A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of a substance.

Vacuum

A space where no particles of matter exist.