Specific Heat

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Thermodynamics Noun

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[thur-moh-dy-nam-iks]

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Thermodynamics

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The study of the laws describing the relationships between heat, work, and energy in matter's thermal properties.

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Example: This diagram compares three types of thermodynamic systems: open (exchanges energy and matter), closed (exchanges energy only), and isolated (exchanges neither).

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Heat Noun

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[heet]

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Heat

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Energy transferred between objects of different temperatures, always flowing from a hotter region to a cooler one.

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Example: This diagram shows the three methods of heat transfer—conduction, convection, and radiation—using a pot of boiling water as an example.

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Energy Noun

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[en-er-jee]

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Energy

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The fundamental capacity of a physical system to perform work or to transfer heat to another system.

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Example: This image shows an electric circuit with a battery, conductor, and light bulb, defining electric energy as the flow of electrons.

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Temperature Noun

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[tem-per-uh-cher]

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Temperature

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A measure of the average kinetic energy of the randomly moving atoms or molecules within a substance.

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Example: A small amount of water, like in a glass, heats up much faster in the sun than a large amount of water, like in an ocean.

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Atom Noun

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[at-um]

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Atom

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The smallest unit of a chemical element, whose random vibrations contribute to the thermal energy of a substance.

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Example: This diagram shows a model of a single atom, labeling its fundamental particles: protons and neutrons in the nucleus, and electrons orbiting it.

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Molecule Noun

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[mol-uh-kyool]

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Molecule

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A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound.

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Example: This image shows a water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, which is the basic unit involved in specific heat.

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Entropy Noun

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[en-truh-pee]

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Entropy

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A thermodynamic quantity representing the degree of disorder or randomness in a system.

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Example: This image shows that as a substance changes from solid to liquid to gas, its particles become more disordered. This increasing disorder is called entropy.

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Heat Engine Noun

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[heet en-jin]

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Heat Engine

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A device designed to convert thermal energy, or heat, into mechanical work or other useful forms of energy.

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Example: This diagram shows how a heat engine works by using heat to turn water into steam, which then expands to push a piston and turn a wheel.

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Thermal Energy Noun

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[thur-muhl en-er-jee]

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Thermal Energy

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The total internal energy of a system resulting from the kinetic energy of its constituent atoms and molecules.

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Example: This diagram shows thermal energy moving as heat from a hot object to a cold object, a fundamental principle of thermodynamics.

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Conduction Noun

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[kun-duhk-shun]

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Conduction

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The process of heat transfer through a substance by direct contact between its constituent particles without bulk movement.

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Example: This diagram shows that in conduction, high-energy particles in a hotter area collide with low-energy particles in a cooler area, transferring thermal energy.