Thermal Energy: Vocabulary

Front

What is a thermal conductor?

Back

A material that allows thermal energy to pass through it easily.

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NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Front

What is radiation in the context of thermal energy?

Back

Thermal energy that does not require a medium to move from one location to another.

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Front

Define convection in terms of heat transfer.

Back

Heat transfer caused by the rising of hotter, less dense fluids and the falling of cooler, more dense fluids.

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Front

How does convection occur in a heated fluid?

Back

The movement of thermal energy as matter is heated, moves away from the heat source, and is replaced by cooler matter.

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Front

What does the Law of Conservation of Energy state?

Back

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed.

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NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Front

What is thermal energy?

Back

The energy that comes from the temperature of matter, which is the total kinetic energy of its particles.

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Front

What is the difference between conduction and convection?

Back

Conduction is the transfer of thermal energy through direct contact, while convection involves the movement of fluids.

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Front

What role does a thermal insulator play?

Back

A material that resists the transfer of thermal energy.

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NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Front

What is the significance of specific heat capacity?

Back

It is the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

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Front

How does temperature affect thermal energy transfer?

Back

Higher temperature differences between objects increase the rate of thermal energy transfer.

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