You might not have thought much about thermal energy since the days of your junior high science class, but this force of nature surrounds us every day. From your morning cup of coffee to the methods by which you power your home appliances, thermal energy is a part of your life whether you realize it Contact online >>
You might not have thought much about thermal energy since the days of your junior high science class, but this force of nature surrounds us every day. From your morning cup of coffee to the methods by which you power your home appliances, thermal energy is a part of your life whether you realize it or not.
The concept of thermal energy has been accepted for more than a century now. Still, the science behind it was met with doubt and skepticism when first proposed by the English physicist James Prescott Joules in the 1850s.
Joules proposed the radical theory that energy can take different forms — including heat — and these forms of energy were interrelated. He supported his idea by proving that heat has a mechanical equivalent, and the two could be converted from one to the other.
Joules'' work led to the establishment of the thermodynamics law known as conservation of energy, which states that energy is never destroyed. There are two main categories of energy: potential energy and kinetic energy. Potential energy is stored energy dependent on an object''s position or composition. Thermal energy is a type of kinetic energy or the energy of movement.
The first law of Thermodynamics considers the effects of pressure, volume, and temperature have on systems such as steam engines. By using mathematical relationships, we can understand how energy is exchanged within these systems as either heat or the ability to do work.
This relationship between different types of energy, including mechanical energy, came to prominence during the Industrial Age when engineers tried to improve the efficiency of steam engines .
A steam engine is also known as a heat engine. It uses the energy provided (heat) and turns it into "work" — in this case, mechanical energy — to drive the pistons. The first law of thermodynamics also assumes that a system''s total energy never changes; it just changes form.
This understanding was crucial to defining thermal energy. Thermal energy results from the "random motion of molecules" in a substance, set in motion by their internal energy. Thermal energy is measured by the warmth or coolness of that substance due to the molecules'' kinetic energy.
Thermal energy is considered the sum of all the kinetic energy and potential energy that make up a physical system. This total thermal energy is also known as the total internal energy of a system. Its kinetic energy can take three forms:
Though heat and thermal energy are often considered synonymous, strictly speaking from a scientific perspective, they are not precisely the same. Thermal energy refers to the movement of molecules within an object or substance. Every object or substance has thermal energy — the sun is the largest thermal energy source in our solar system.
Heat is the transfer of energy from one object or substance to another, a flow of thermal energy. A working stove top has heat energy, as does any pot or kettle you put onto it. The stove can transfer heat to the pot, and the pot will then transfer heat to its contents.
Temperature is something else entirely. Temperature is an object''s hotness or coldness measured at a specific time. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules that comprise a substance. Temperature alone cannot do any useful work; it is simply the current temperature of an object.
Your physician may take your temperature when you go for a check-up, checking for temperature increases. If you are ill, your temperature may be higher than usual, showing how temperature is a snapshot in time of something''s hotness or coolness.
Digging deeper into thermodynamics, the kinetic energy of a substance''s molecules can be increased by heating. The amount of heat required to affect a given increase in temperature is referred to as specific heat. In other words, the size and weight of the molecules determine the specific heat capacity needed to increase their kinetic energy — or amount of thermal energy — and therefore the amount of heat transferred and the extent of the temperature rise.
We also measure thermal energy held by fuels and energy sources in British thermal units (Btu), to compare them on an equal basis. One Btu is the quantity of heat required to heat one pound of water from 39 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Convection involves heat moving through a fluid or gas. When we sit our pan of cold water on the campfire, thermal energy transfers into the water. What occurs is called convection. As the water warms, it becomes less dense and rises. The denser and cooler water sinks then warms in the convection currents.
You''re likely familiar with the principle that warm air rises while cool air sinks. That principle operates in both liquids and gases. When heated, the warmer substance, whether liquid or air, expands and moves to the top. Eventually, the heat spreads throughout the liquid or gas.
Conduction is the internal heat transfer in an object, be that solid, liquid, or gas. Back to our pan, conduction occurs as heat flows through the pan to its handle, warming up the handle. Conduction means the thermal energy of a hot object at a higher temperature flows to a cooler object at a lower temperature.
Conduction happens differently depending on whether the solid is a metal or a non-metal. As you would expect, metals conduct heat better. The reason is that electrons in a metal''s atoms can break free and move about and can do so much faster than if they were atoms of a gas or non-metal.
In non-metal solids, the process is a bit different. When heated, heat energy passes from one atom to another due to vibrational effects. But the process, and flow of energy, are slower since the atoms are fixed.
Radiation, the third type of thermal energy transfer, occurs in waves that travel at the speed of light. It does not need material or an object to travel through. The sun is the best example of this radiation, the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves, traveling through space as a light wave, or electromagnetic radiation. You notice a temperature change when you step out from the shade into the sunshine on a sunny day.
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