Unit 6 Thermal Physics Flashcards
What is heat?
Heat is the total amount of energy of all the particles in a body.
What is temperature?
Temperature is a measure of the average energy of a single particle in a body.
What is thermal equilibrium?
A state where there is no net flow of heat (ie. thermal energy) between objects therefore all objects are at the same temperature.
What happens when a substance is changing state?
Its temperature stays constant
The kinetic energy of its particles do not change
Its internal energy changes because the potential energy of its particles changes as the forces between them change and bonds between them are made or broken.
Define specific heat capacity of a substance
The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance by 1 degree Celsius without a change of state
Define specific latent heat of fusion
The amount of energy needed to change 1kg of it from solid to liquid without a change in temperature.
Define specific latent heat vaporisation
The amount of energy need to change 1kg of it from liquid to gas without a change in temperature
What is the zeroth law of Thermodynamics?
If two objects are in thermal equilibrium with a third object, then they are all in thermal equilibrium with each other (ie. no net flow of heat between all three objects, therefore they’re all at the same temperature.)
What is the coldest possible temperature?
Absolute zero which is theorised at 0 kelvin, -273 degrees celsius,= or -460 degrees fahrenheit. A state where the substance has minimum internal energy.
What forces determine potential energies of particles?
Attractive forces.
Describe the potential energy of particles in the three states?
Solids - some potential energy
Liquid - less potential energy as smaller attractive forces
Gas - negligible potential energy
What is potential energy?
Energy due to position.
What is always smaller, potential energy of the particles or kinetic energy?
Potential energy will always be much smaller than kinetic energy.
What is internal energy?
Internal energy is the sum of the randomly distributed kinetic energies and potential energies of the particles in a body.
How does the internal energy of a system increase ?
It can either increase by heating the system or having work done on it.