HEAT AS A FORM OF ENERGY

Heat
-

Heat is a form of energy.

The Sun is the primary source of heat energy.
Apart from the sun, we can get heat energy from :
o Electricity
o Fossil fuel (burning)
o Radioactive metals
o The mantle of the Earth.
o Rubbing or friction
Heat flows from a hotter to cooler part. This process of heat transfer will cease when the
temperature of the two parts become the same.
The heat content of a substance depends on
i.
The temperature of the substance
ii.
The mass of the substance

The Differences between Heat and Temperature

Heat
a form of energy
measured in the joule ( J )
the total amount of kinetic energy
of a particles

Temperature
a degree of hotness a substances
measured in the Kelvin ( K )
Tells us how fast the particles are moving

HEAT FLOW AND ITS EFFECTS

Expansion and contraction
-

Matter is made up of particles

When matter is heated, the particles receive energy and move faster. This causes the distance
between the particles to increase. The volume increases and the matter expands.
When matter is cooled, the particles lose energy and move more slowly. The particles become closer
to one another. The volume decreases and matter contracts.

Transfer of heat
a. Conduction
- When one end of a metal rod is heated by a Bunsen flame, the particles of the metal rod near the
flame get extra heat energy from the flame.
- The particles vibrate more vigorously, knocking into neighbours particles and transferring energy to
them.
- The neighbouring particles, in turn, knock their neighbours and pass energy to them.
- Thus, heat is carried along the rod from the hot end to the cold end.
1

b.
-

Convection
When air is heated, it expand.
The hot air becomes less dense than the cooler air around it.
Thus, the hot air rises.
As the hot air rises, cooler air rushes in to take its place.
Soon, an air current is formed.
When the hot air rises, heat energy is carried from one place to another.
Convection is the transfer of heat energy from one place to another by the movement of the
material itself.

c.
-

Radiation
Heat travels through empty space (vacuum) as radiation, or heat rays.
Heat rays are electromagnetic waves.
They travel very fast through space.
Eg : Heat from the Sun reaches the Earth.

Heat flow in natural phenomena

1.

Land breeze
Land breeze blows during the night from land to sea.
During night time, the land becomes cool faster than the sea.
The air above the sea becomes less dense and rises.
Cool air from the land moves in to take its place.
The convection current that forms is known as land breeze.

2.

Sea breeze
Sea breezes blow during the day.
During the day, the land heats up faster than the sea.
As a result, the air on land becomes less dense and rises.
The cooler air over the sea which is denser (cooler) flows in to
take the place of the warm air, causing what is known as a sea
breeze.

3. Warming of the Earth by the Sun

The heat from the sun reaches the earth by radiation through a
vacuum in space (no medium)

The radiant heat which is absorbed heats up the earth.