Chapter 6 Thermal Energy and Society (Defs.) Flashcards
(31 cards)
The theory that describes the motion of molecules or atoms in a substance in terms of kinetic energy.
Kinetic molecular theory
The total quantity of kinetic and potential energy possessed by the atoms or molecules of a substance.
Thermal energy
A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance.
Temperature
The temperature scale based on the boiling point and freezing point of water.
Celsius scale
The temperature scale based on the boiling point and freezing point of brine.
Fahrenheit scale
The temperature scale developed using absolute zero as the point at which there is virtually no motion in the particles of a substance.
Kelvin scale
The temperature at which a solid changes into a liquid; equal to the freezing point for a given substance.
Melting point
The temperature at which a liquid changes into a solid; equal to the melting point for a given substance.
Freezing point
The temperature at which a liquid changes into a gas; equal to the condensation point for a given substance.
Boiling point
The temperature at which a gas changes into a liquid; equal to the boiling point for a given substance.
Condensation point
The transfer of thermal energy from a substance with a higher temperature to a substance with a lower temperature.
Heat
The transfer of thermal energy that occurs when warmer objects are in physical contact with colder objects.
Thermal conduction
The transfer of thermal energy through a fluid that occurs when colder, denser fluid falls and pushes up warmer, less dense fluid.
Convection
A current that occurs when a fluid is continuously heated; caused by warmer, less dense fluid being constantly pushed upward as colder, denser fluid falls downward.
Convection current
The movement of thermal energy as electromagnetic waves.
Radiation
A material that is a good conductor of thermal energy.
Thermal conductor
A material that is a poor conductor of thermal energy.
Thermal insulator
The amount of energy, in joules, required to increase the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C; units are J/(kg•°C).
Specific heat capacity (c)
The amount of thermal energy transferred from one object to another.
Quantity of heat (Q)
When thermal energy is transferred from a warmer object to a colder object, the amount of thermal energy released by the warmer object is equal to the amount of thermal energy absorbed by the colder object.
Principle of thermal energy exchange
The expansion of a substance as it warms up.
Thermal expansion
The contraction of a substance when it cools down.
Thermal contraction
The process by which a solid changes to a liquid.
Fusion
A graph that shows the temperature changes that occur while thermal energy is absorbed by a substance.
Heating graph
