| Term | Definition |
| Heat | The total thermal energy an object has.
*Depends upon the mass of the object and the speed of the object's molecules(temp)
Unit: Joules! |
| Temperature | The average thermal energy an object has.
*Depends only upon how fast an object's molecules are moving.
Unit: Degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin |
| Specific Heat | The amount of energy required to change the temperature of a given mass of an object.
Equation - Q=mC∆T
Q - Heat (joules)
m - mass (depends on C)
C - specific heat (Units J/g*K, J/kg*K, J/g*C, J/kg*C)
∆T - Change in temp (depends on C) |
| Joules | A measurement of energy. J |
| Heat of Fusion | The amount of energy to take a substance from liquid-->solid or from solid-->liquid.
Q=mHf
Q- heat (in joules)
m- mass (in g or kg)
Hf- Heat of Fusion (In J/g or J/kg)
*Only with Freezing/Melting Point |
| Heat of Vaporization | The amount of energy to take a substance from liquid-->gas or from gas-->liquid.
Q=mHv
Q- heat (in joules)
m- mass (in g or kg)
Hv- Heat of Vaporization(In J/g or J/kg)
*Only with Vaporization/Condensation Point |
| Change of State | Any time a substance changes from solid>liquid, liquid>gas, gas>liquid, liquid>gas. |
| Thermal Energy | The total amount of heat or work that an object contains or can apply. |
| Conduction | Transfer of heat through direct contact.
*Between solids |
| Convection | Transfer of heat through fluid contact. (Air currents)
Between a solid and a fluid. |
| Radiation | Transfer of heat through radiation (light or some other form of energy wave).
*Think the Sun. |
| Thermal Equilibrium | When two objects transfer thermal energy between each other at the same rate.
*Both objects will be at the same temperature when this occurs. |
| Heat Transfer | When an object transfers its heat from its self to another object that lacks heat.
*Heat transfer will always occur by heat leaving a high heat object and going to a low heat object. |
| Freezing Point/Melting Point | The point at which an object will go from a solid to a liquid (Melting point) or from a liquid to a solid (Freezing Point) |
| Condensation/Vaporization Point | The point at which an object will go from a liquid to a gas (Vaporization Point) or from a gas to a liquid (Condensation Point) |
| 1st Law of Thermodynamics | The change in an object's thermal energy is equal to the heat added to the system minus the work done by the system.
Equation: ∆U = Q -W
∆U - Thermal Energy (In Joules)
Q - Heat (In Joules)
W - Work (In Joules) |
| 2nd Law of Thermodynamics | The entropy, or disorder, of energy will increase as energy moves through a system or from one system to another.
Entropy = energy that is lost to the environment that cannot be harness to do work.
*Entropy occurs naturally and it takes WORK to end. |
| Entropy | The amount of disorder or lost energy that can no longer be harness to do any valuable work. |
