HEAT ENERGY

By MembersMadhavNeerajManindra

WHAT DO YOU MEAN

BY ENERGY?

Energy, in physics, the capacity for doing work. It may exist in potential, kinetic, thermal,

electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms. There

are, moreover, heat and work—i.e., energy in the process of

transfer from one body to another.

THEN WHAT IS HEAT ENERGY??

• Heat energy is defined as a form of energy which transfers among particles in

a substance (or system) by means of Kinetic energy of those particles. In

other words, under kinetic theory, the heat is transferred by particles bouncing into

each other.• In physical equations, the amount of heat

transferred is usually denoted by the symbol Q.

THREE WAYS OF TRANSFERRING HEAT

ENERGY• Convection transfers heat energy through the air (and

liquids). As the air heats up, the particles move further apart and become less dense, which causes the air to rise. Cooler air below moves in and heats up, creating a circular motion. The warm air circles and heats the room.

• Conduction transfers heat energy through one substance to another when they are in direct contact. The moving molecules of a warm material can increase the energy of the molecules in a cooler material. Since particles are closer together, solids conduct heat better than liquids or gases.

• Radiation is the heat that we feel coming from a hot object. It warms the air using heat waves (infrared waves) that radiate out from the hot object in all directions until it is absorbed by other objects. Transfer of heat by radiation travels at the speed of light and goes great distances.

EVERYDAY EXAMPLES OF HEAT ENERGY

• The biggest example of heat energy in our solar system is the sun itself. The sun radiates heat to warm us up on the planet earth.

• When the burner of a stovetop is very hot, it is a source of heat energy. Anything placed onto the stovetop and warmed, whether a pot of tea or a skillet for frying eggs, also become sources of heat energy.

• Any fire, from the smallest match, to the fireplace, to the biggest forest fire ever, contains heat energy – with even the smallest of fires potentially resulting in the massive amount of heat energy seen in a huge blaze.

• When ice is placed into a glass of water, the heat energy from the water eventually melts the ice, meaning the water itself is a source of heat energy.

• Your body contains heat energy that can warm a cold glass of lemonade, melt the ice on the other side of a window, and make someone else warm when you hug them.

• Geothermal energy is a type of heat energy generated and stored beneath the surface of the Earth. This type of energy is used to heat homes and buildings.

• A huge amount of heat energy is stored in a bolt of lightning, which can strike and start a fire or cause an electrical outage.

• Heat energy is contained inside of a hot piece of pizza – if it doesn’t cool down, that heat energy has the potential to hurt the roof of a person’s mouth.

• When your computer is turned on, the components inside of it generate heat energy, which needs to be cooled with a small fan installed within the machine.

• A bathtub filled with hot water contains enough heat energy to warm a cold body back to a comfortable level on a frigid day.