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Physics vocabulary · Heat and Thermodynamics

Heat

Meaning in physics, with examples

/hiːt/nounCore term

In physics, heat means: Energy that flows from a hotter object to a colder one because of the temperature difference between them. Like all energy, it is measured in joules (J).

In Turkish: ısı

How it is used

In physics, heat is energy in transfer, not something an object 'contains'; what an object contains is internal (thermal) energy. Heat is transferred, absorbed, released or lost. As a verb, you heat water or a gas. Symbol: Q.

Example sentences

  1. The metal block absorbs heat from the hot water until both reach the same temperature.

  2. On its own, heat always flows from the hotter body to the cooler one.

Common collocations

  • heat transfer
  • absorb heat
  • release heat
  • heat loss
  • latent heat
  • temperatureA measure of how hot or cold something is, linked to the average kinetic energy of its particles. In science it is measured in kelvin (K) or degrees Celsius (°C).
  • heat transferThe movement of thermal energy from a hotter place to a colder one. It happens in three ways: conduction, convection and radiation.
  • specific heat capacityThe energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 K (or 1 °C). Water has a high value, about 4200 J/(kg·K).
  • first law of thermodynamicsThe principle that the change in a system's internal energy equals the heat supplied to it minus the work it does. It is the conservation of energy applied to heat and work.
  • latent heatThe energy absorbed or released when a substance changes state, for example from solid to liquid, without any change in its temperature.

More terms: Heat and Thermodynamics

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