Chapter 4, Problem 1LC

To determine

To differentiate: Temperature and heat.

Answer to Problem 1LC

While temperature defines the “average kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance”, heat is the form of energy that gets transferred from one substance to another due to the difference existing in their temperatures. The heat flows from a hot object to the cold one by raising its internal energy.

Explanation of Solution

The “average kinetic energy” possessed by the molecules of a substance defines its temperature. It may be more precisely the kinetic energy due to the translational motion of the molecules composing a substance. The more vigorous the movement is, the more will be the kinetic energy and the higher will be the temperature of the substance.

The difference in temperature will lead to transmission of energy. This energy transmitted from one object to another is known as heat. Usually, the direction of heat energy transfer will be from a body at higher temperature to the ones at lower temperature. The hotter substance from where the transfer occurs, undergoes a decline in its internal energy, while the cold substance to which the heat energy got transferred experiences a rise in its internal energy.