All Flashcards
What are the three thermal processes of energy transfer?
Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.
Describe the process of energy transfer at the atomic level.
Higher-energy atoms transfer energy to lower-energy atoms during collisions.
Describe the direction of energy transfer between two systems at different temperatures.
Energy always flows from the hotter system to the cooler system.
Explain how thermal equilibrium is achieved between two systems in thermal contact.
Energy transfers from the hotter system to the cooler system until both systems reach the same temperature, at which point the rate of energy transfer is equal in both directions.
What is Thermal Contact?
When two systems can exchange energy through thermal processes.
Define Heating in thermal physics.
Energy entering a system via thermal processes.
Define Cooling in thermal physics.
Energy leaving a system via thermal processes.
What is Thermal Equilibrium?
When two systems reach the same temperature, and there's no more net energy transfer.
What is Thermal Conductivity (k)?
A material's ability to conduct heat. High 'k' means heat moves easily; low 'k' means it doesn't.
What is Thermal Expansion?
Materials tend to change size when their temperature changes. Most things get bigger when heated and smaller when cooled.
Define Linear Thermal Expansion.
How much a material changes in length due to a change in temperature.
Define Volumetric Thermal Expansion.
How much a material changes in volume due to a change in temperature.