Geology - Buoyancy and Heat Flow Mechanisms

These flashcards cover key concepts related to buoyancy and heat flow mechanisms in geology, including principles, definitions, and experimental findings.

Archimedes Principle

States that when an object is completely submerged in fluid, the volume of the displaced fluid is equal to the volume of the object.

Buoyant Force

The upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of an object submerged in it.

Heat Conduction

The transfer of thermal energy through collisions between particles in a material.

Thermal Energy

The energy that comes from the temperature of matter; it is the energy that results from the movement of particles.

Convection

The process of heat transfer in fluids (liquids and gases) where warmer, less dense regions rise and cooler, denser regions sink.

Density Rule for Floating and Sinking

An object will sink if its density is greater than that of water (1.00 g/cm³) and will float if its density is less.

Kinetic Energy Transfer

The process by which faster-moving particles collide with slower-moving particles, transferring energy and thus heat.

Heat Flow Direction

Heat always flows from the hotter object to the colder object.

Evidence of Good Conductors

Metals such as steel and copper are good conductors of heat, evidenced by their ability to transfer heat quickly as observed in experiments.

Microscopic Heat Conduction

The mechanism for heat conduction involves particles bumping into each other, transferring kinetic energy from faster-moving particles to slower-moving ones.