Heat and temperature in a sparkler Flashcards
(10 cards)
Why don’t sparks from a 1000°C sparkler cause serious burns?
The reason is the mass of the spark is very small and the temperature difference between the air and the spark is very large.
Why is the total thermal energy small in this case?
As there are fewer particles in the spark than in the main part of the sparkler, the total particle energy is much smaller. Therefore, the total thermal energy or heat of the spark is very small.
What happens to temperature and heat after a spark touches the air?
As the temperature difference between the spark and the air is large, thermal energy will be transferred from the spark to the air quickly. In the short time the spark takes to fall, its temperature and heat have both decreased significantly.
Why can something at high temperature have low total thermal energy?
Because it has very few particles, so the total energy of the particles is small even though their average energy (temperature) is high.
How can something very hot lose heat quickly when in contact with air?
A large temperature difference causes faster thermal energy transfer to the air, quickly lowering both temperature and heat.
What is absolute zero?
The temperature where particles stop moving. We now call this temperature absolute zero.
What is the value of absolute zero?
–273°C
What happens to particles as temperature decreases?
The particles move more slowly.
What is the standard unit of temperature?
Kelvin, not °C or °F
Why is it not possible to reach absolute zero in practice?
Because particles never stop moving completely, even in extreme conditions.
