Heat and Thermodynamics

Front

What does the first law of thermodynamics state?

Back

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change forms.

Front

What does the second law of thermodynamics state?

Back

The amount of usable energy is always decreasing, and the entropy of an isolated system increases over time.

Front

What is entropy?

Back

A measure of a system's state of disorder.

Front

What is the heat death of the universe hypothesis?

Back

The universe will eventually run out of usable energy as all energy will be converted into heat energy.

Front

What is heat?

Back

A form of energy that moves from a warmer object to a cooler object, essentially the kinetic energy of atoms.

Front

What happens when you put water on a hot stove?

Back

Heat energy from the stove is transferred to the water, causing the atoms to move faster and eventually become steam.

Front

What happens when you put water in a freezer?

Back

Heat energy leaves the water, causing the atoms to move more slowly and eventually lock together as ice.

Front

What happens if you toss an ice cube into boiling water?

Back

Fast-moving water molecules transfer energy to the ice, causing it to gain energy and return to liquid.

Front

What is the difference between heat and temperature?

Back

Heat is energy in motion from a warmer to a cooler object, while temperature measures how vigorously atoms are moving.

Front

How does a thermometer work?

Back

As heat is added, the liquid inside gains kinetic energy, expands, and pushes the liquid up the tube.