Temperature, Thermal Energy, and Heat

Flashcards about Temperature, Thermal Energy, and Heat

What is temperature?

A measure of the average value of the kinetic energy of the particles in an object.

Why does butter get warmer when left at room temperature?

The particles in the air have more kinetic energy than the butter particles, transferring kinetic energy through collisions.

What gives particles in a material potential energy?

Attractive forces between particles.

What is thermal energy?

The sum of the kinetic and potential energy of all the particles in an object.

Thermal energy and mass relationship

If the temperature doesn’t change but the mass of the object increases, the thermal energy in the object increases.

What is heat?

Thermal energy that flows from something at a higher temperature to something at a lower temperature.

In what direction does heat flow?

Heat always flows from warmer materials to cooler materials.

What is specific heat?

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of that substance by 1°C.

Why does water have a high specific heat?

Water molecules form strong bonds with each other, requiring more energy to increase movement.

What is a coolant?

A substance that is used to absorb heat.

What formula is used to compute change in thermal energy?

Q = m(Tf – Ti)C

What does a calorimeter measure?

A device that can be used to find the specific heat of a material.