P1aL1 Heat Energy

Key Words

Absorb - take in thermal radiation

Emit - give out thermal radiation

Heat - energy that makes things hotter

Heat energy - energy flowing from a hot object to a cold object

Temperature - measurement of how hot something is.  Measured in in degrees Celsius ( ^oC) or Kelvin (K)

Thermal radiation - electromagnetic radiation given out by hot objects.  Behaves just like light.

Transfer- movement of energy from one body to another.

Grade E

Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius using a thermometer.

Heat passes from hot to cold, not the other way round.

Grade C

Thermal radiation behaves just like light:

• It travels in straight lines;
• Its speed is 300 million m/s in a vacuum;
• It can be reflected and refracted.

Thermal radiation heats objects up by making the molecules move faster.

Infra red cameras pick up radiation emitted by hot objects (like the burglar).

Grade A

Temperature represents the amount of internal energy in an object.  However that's not the whole story.  A spark from a firework has a higher temperature than a bath of hot water, but much less energy.