Thermodynamics and Thermal Energy Quiz

Heat is the thermal energy transferred between systems due to a temperature difference.

In colloquial use, heat sometimes refers to thermal energy itself, which is the kinetic energy of vibrating and colliding atoms in a substance.

An example of formal vs. informal usage may be obtained from the right-hand photo, in which the metal bar is 'conducting heat' from its hot end to its cold end, but if the metal bar is considered a thermodynamic system, then the energy flowing within the metal bar is called internal energy, not heat.

<p>The hot metal bar is also transferring heat to its surroundings, a correct statement for both the strict and loose meanings of heat.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Physics defines heat as energy transfer, more accurately, it is thermal energy that is contained in the system or body, as it is stored in the microscopic degrees of freedom of the modes of vibration.</p> Signup and view all the answers