Heat and Energy Transfer Vocab

Conduction

Conduction is the transfer of heat by contact, collision, and transfer of molecular vibrations

Convection

The vertical movement of air and heat

Radiation

When heat moves via electromagnetic energy

Electromagnetic Energy

Energy that can be reflected, transmitted, scattered, and absorbed

Wavelength

The distance between two crests

Wein’s Displacement Law (λmax = b/T)

The peak wavelength of radiation emitted by a blackbody is inversely proportional to its absolute temperature

Blackbody

An object that emits and absorbs radiation perfectly

Peak Wavelength

The wavelength where an object emits the most intense radiation

Steven-Boltzmann Law (Eb = σT4)

States that the total heat power radiated from a surface is directly proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature

Transmission

When radiation passes through an object

Absorption

When radiation changes the temperature of an object

Reflection

When radiation bounces off of an object

Scattering

When radiation is deflected in various directions

Albedo

The fraction of incoming sunlight that is reflected by an object or surface

The Greenhouse Effect

A concept that sunlight’s heat energy is essentially trapped by this cyclical process of absorption and emission of radiation.

Radiative Equilibrium

When energy absorption = energy emission