Heat and Energy
February 7, 2013

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the study of heat relates to the kinetic energy theory of matter. I will discuss what heat and temperature are, the relationship between them and their differences. I will provide examples of the various properties of a substance that will determine its heat capacity and various sources of heat.

In the 1840s scientists understood that heat was not just a substance but a form of energy that can be converted from one form to another. James Prescott Joule and Rudolf Clausius stated that heat can produce mechanical energy, and mechanical energy can produce heat. Which lead to the idea that the “heat energy” of a substance is the kinetic energy of its atoms and molecules. Heat is what makes kinetic energy. The more heat that is produced the higher the kinetic energy level of an object or substance is or has. The kinetic energy theory of matter is a scientific theory that states that matter consists of small particles in a rapid random motion. The kinetic energy theory gives the differences of three states of matter; solids, liquids, and gases. The Kinetic Theory of Matter states that matter is composed of a large number and small particles that are in constant motion. It also assumes that particles are small and widely separated. They collide and exchange energy. The theory helps explain the flow or transfer of heat and the relationship between pressure, temperature and volume properties of gases.

Heat is energy and describes the movement between objects. Heat is a measure of the total internal energy that has been absorbed or transferred from one body to another. Internal energy is the kinetic and potential energy of molecules of an object. The total internal energy of molecules increases by gaining energy from a temperature difference such as conduction, convection and radiation or by gaining energy from a form conversion (mechanical, chemical radiant, electrical, nuclear). Heat is a form of energy that is mostly converted into kinetic energy of molecules. As long as you heat an object, its temperature rises. Another way to understand how heat and temperature relate is when a hotter object placed next to a cooler object will always transfer heat from itself into the cooler object, until both objects have equal temperatures. Temperature is a measure of the average heat or thermal energy of the particles in a substance. Temperature is a way to state the notions of hot and cold. It is also the measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance. Heat is Energy. Temperature is the apparent effect of heat. Heat and temperature differ in many ways. Heat is thermal energy transferred from one object to another because of a temperature difference, and temperature is a