Thermal Energy

Thermal Energy

• Thermal energy is the total energy of the particles in an object, depending on temperature and mass.
• An object at a high temperature has more thermal energy than at a lower temperature.
• Thermal energy is different from kinetic energy due to the motion of the object as a whole.

Thermal Energy and Heat

• Thermal energy is not the same as heat.
• Heat is the energy in transit between substances or systems due to a temperature difference between them.
• Heat always flows from warmer materials to cooler materials.

Heat Transfer

• Heat transfer is energy in transit due to a temperature difference.
• The basic requirement for heat transfer is the presence of a temperature difference.
• There can be no net heat transfer between two mediums at the same temperature.
• The rate of heat transfer depends on the temperature difference in a certain direction.
• The larger the temperature difference, the higher the rate of heat transfer.

Conduction

• Conduction is the transfer of energy as heat from one substance to another when they are in direct contact.
• Conduction occurs when objects at different temperatures come into contact with each other.
• Energy is transferred from the warmer object to the cooler object until their temperatures are equal.
• Conduction can also occur within a single object, transferring energy from the warmer part to the cooler part.

Convection

• Convection is heat transfer by material moving from one place to another.
• In most substances, as temperature increases, the density of the liquid or gas decreases.
• Thermal energy is transferred from hot places to cold places due to convection.
• Gravity is one of the major forces affecting fluid flow in convection.
• Density differences due to temperature changes cause fluid movement in the presence of gravity.

Thermal energy is the total energy of the particles in an object. It depends on temperature and mass of the substance.