Thursday, June 3, 2010

Thermal energy

What is Thermal Energy

Thermal Energy is the kind of energy that is related to and/or caused by heat. When thermal energy is applied to a substance, the average velocity the particles or molecules which make up the substance increases -- and it gets warmer!

Example of Thermal energy

When you boil a pot of water, you are contributing thermal energy or heat to the bottom of the pot. This thermal energy is then transferred to the water inside the pot. As the water molecules
move faster, they begin to get hotter. As they move faster and faster, each one tries to leap away from its neighbors and into the surrounding air to form of water vapor, or steam. Once the water starts boiling, it turns into steam very quickly!


Creation of Thermal Energy

Thermal energy is the total internal kinetic energy of an object due to the random motion of its atoms and molecules. It is sometimes confused with internal energy or thermodynamic energy.

They consist of the sum of the internal kinetic energy (thermal energy) and the potential energy of an object. You may need to make sure which definition a teacher or book is using.

Kinetic Theory of Matter

The Kinetic Theory of Matter states that matter consists of atoms or molecules in random motion. Those moving particles can transfer their kinetic energy to other nearby particles. The total kinetic energy of all the particles in an object make up the thermal energy of that object.

Temperature and heat

Temperature and heat are related to thermal energy.

  • Temperature is defined as the average kinetic energy of all the atoms or molecules in an object.
  • Heat is defined as the flow of thermal energy from an object of one temperature to an object of another temperature. You feel the flow of heat when warm air from a furnace reaches you.



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