Heat and Thermal Energy Module

Overview
Matter is made up of particles or molecules. These molecules move (or
vibrate) constantly. A rise in the temperature of matter makes the particles
vibrate faster. Thermal energy is what we call energy that comes from the
temperature of matter. The hotter the substance, the more its molecules vibrate,
and therefore the higher its thermal energy.
Heat or thermal energy (also called heat energy) is produced when a rise
in temperature causes atoms and molecules to move faster and collide with each
other. The energy that comes from the temperature of the heated substance is
called thermal energy. Thermal energy is energy that comes from a substance
whose molecules and atoms are vibrating faster due to a rise in temperature.
Heat is energy in transit due to differences in temperature between two systems.
The difference between heat and thermal energy is that thermal energy is
not in the process of being transferred; it is not in transit, but remains as part
of the internal energy of the system; heat, on the other hand, is energy in transit,
i.e. energy in the process of being transferred from a hotter system towards
another colder system. In summary, the thermal energy is energy within the
system; heat is energy outside the system.

Points To Remember:
Remember that heat is the transfer of energy between objects or places
because of difference in temperature. Heat exists as ‘energy in transit’ and it is
not contained in an object. The energy that is actually contained in an object due
to the motion of its particles is called thermal energy. The thermal energy of an
object is changed if heat is transferred to or from it. Since the amount of heat
transferred relates to the amount of change in thermal energy, the term heat in
this module is also used to refer to the measure of thermal energy transferred.
Note also that the activities in this module involve hot and boiling water, so extra
care should always be observed.
Heat
It is energy in transit due to differences in temperature between two
systems. Before it is transferred, the energy which remains within the boundary
of the system is not heat, but internal energy or total available energy.
Once a system absorbs heat, the latter is no longer heat, but internal
energy of the system, i.e. it stops being heat because heat is no longer being
transferred between two systems at different temperatures. For it to be heat it
must be in the process of being transferred from one system to another system.
There is no heat transfer from low kinetic energy density systems to high kinetic
energy density systems. The flux of heat photons always moves from maximum
to minimum, from high to low. This is the second law of thermodynamics.
Heat cannot be stored nor contained by any system because heat is a
process function. It is a category error to use the expression “heat stored” if one
does not clarify that it is not heat (a process) which is being stored, but energy
which has been transferred from one system to another transposing the
boundary of the acceptor system. The proper expression for this is “energy stored
by heat transfer”; or simply “energy stored”.
 From the diagram above we now see clearly that the phrase “Heat Content
of the Oceans” is terminologically incorrect because heat cannot be contained by
the oceans. The energy in transit, or heat, is absorbed by the oceans in the form
of internal energy, but it stops being energy in transit, or heat, because it is no
longer in transit, forming now instead part of the internal energy of the oceans,
which consists of kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy and chemical or
nuclear energy.
The energy emitted or released by the system becomes heat the moment it
crosses the boundary of the system, i.e. the moment it becomes energy in transit.

THERMAL ENERGY
Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy that a system possesses.
Thermal energy is an important component of the internal energy of such system.
The kinetic energy is energy of motion. For example, the Sun is the main and
fundamental source of energy for the solar system. Incoming energy from the
Sun is essential for life on Earth. The Sun produces energy by nuclear fusion.
The thermal energy released from the Sun is transformed into energy in transit
or heat.
Another example of the difference between heat and thermal energy is a lit
candle. A candle generates thermal energy (particle kinetic energy) as long as it
burns. That thermal energy is then released from the candle towards the
surroundings. As the thermal energy crosses the candle's boundaries, it is no
longer thermal energy and becomes heat, that is, energy in transit. When the
energy in transit strikes upon a system with low energy density, for example
one's skin, the energy transferred by heat once again becomes thermal energy,
i.e. it becomes the molecular kinetic energy which had been transferred to the
low energy density system from a higher energy density system.

The following diagram illustrates the differences between heat and thermal
energy: The difference between heat and thermal energy is that thermal energy
is not in the process of being transferred; it is not in transit, but remains as part
of the internal energy of the system; heat, on the other hand, is energy in transit,
i.e. energy in the process of being transferred from a hotter system towards
another colder system. In summary, thermal energy is energy within the system;
heat is energy outside the system.
Thermal energy is continuously converted into gravitational energy and
vice versa. For example, when we lift an object at rest on the floor, the thermal
energy of our body is transferred to the object lifted. As we lift the object, our
thermal energy is stored as gravitational energy in the gravity field. There, the
energy will remain until the object acquires movement.
What are some examples of thermal energy?
Here are some everyday examples of thermal energy that you'll be familiar
with:

Sun: The warmth from the sun Hot Chocolate: A cup of hot chocolate*

Baking: Baking in an oven Heat: The heat from a heater

*Let's think about that cup of hot chocolate...
The hot chocolate has thermal energy from its vibrating particles. When
you pour some cold milk into your hot chocolate, some of this energy is
transferred from the chocolate to the particles in the milk. So what happens?
Your hot chocolate cools down because it lost some of its thermal energy to the
milk.
The tea has thermal energy from its vibrating particles. When you pour
some cold milk into your hot tea, some of this energy is transferred from the tea
to the particles in the milk.
 As cold particles heat, they contain more energy and so vibrate and
separate.

Some matter changes from solid to liquid to gas as its particles heat, vibrate
and separate.
Thermal energy comes from a substance whose molecules and atoms are
vibrating faster due to a rise in temperature. Heat energy is another name for
thermal energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of a moving object. As thermal
energy comes from moving particles, it is a form of kinetic energy.

Boiling a kettle is an example of both thermal and kinetic energy.

Thermal energy is produced when the atoms and molecules in a substance
vibrate faster due to a rise in temperature.
 Boiling water on a stove is an example of thermal energy.
The amount of thermal energy in an object is measured in Joules (J). We
cannot discuss thermal energy without touching on Temperature. Heat and
Temperature do not mean the same thing.

Temperature
The temperature of an object is to do with how hot or cold it is, measured
in degrees Celsius (°C). Temperature can also be measured in a Fahrenheit scale,
named after the German physicist called Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686 –
1736). It is denoted by the symbol 'F'. In Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32
°F, and boils at 212 °F. In Celsius scale, water freezes at 0°C and boil at 100°C.
A thermometer is an instrument used to measure the temperature of an
object. Let's look at this example to see how thermal energy and temperature are
related: A swimming pool at 40°C is at a lower temperature than a cup of tea at
90°C. However, the swimming pool contains a lot more water. Therefore, the pool
has more thermal energy than the cup of tea even though the tea is hotter than
the water in the pool.
Let us see this example below:

If we want to boil the water in these two beakers, we must increase their
temperatures to 100°C. You will notice that will take longer to boil the water in
the large beaker than the water in the small beaker. This is because the large
beaker contains more water and needs more heat energy to reach 100°C.

Heat, Temperature, and Thermal Energy Transfer

The first theory about how a hot object differs from a cold object was
formed in the 18th century. The suggested explanation was that when an object
was heated, an invisible fluid called “caloric” was added to the object. Hot objects
contained more caloric than cold objects. The caloric theory could explain some
observations about heated objects (such as that the fact that objects expanded
as they were heated) but could not explain others (such as why your hands got
warm when you rub them together).
In the mid-19th century, scientists devised a new theory to explain heat.
The new theory was based on the assumption that matter is made up of tiny
particles that are always in motion. In a hot object, the particles move faster and
therefore have greater kinetic energy. The theory is called the kinetic-molecular
theory and is the accepted theory of heat.
Heat is the energy that flows as a result of a difference in temperature. We
use the symbol Q for heat. Heat, like all forms of energy, is measured in joules.
The temperature of an object is a measurement of the average kinetic
energy of all the molecules of the object. You should note the difference between
heat and temperature. Heat is the sum of all the kinetic energies of all the
molecules of an object, while temperature is the average kinetic energy of the
molecules of an object. If an object was composed of exactly three molecules and
the kinetic energies of the three molecules are 50 J, 70 J, and 90 J, the heat
would be 210 J and the temperature would be 70 J.

Summary
 Heat is the transfer of kinetic energy from one set of particles to another.
 Heat energy is the flow of thermal energy also heat energy is the average
temperature of an object.
 Thermal Energy is the total kinetic energy of a system.
 Thermal energy is the internal energy of an object due to the kinetic energy
of the atoms and molecules. The atoms and molecules of an object that is
warmer have greater kinetic energy than those of an object that is colder.
 Thermal energy does not indicate the motion of the particular object as a
whole like kinetic energy does.
Resources:
https://www.solarschools.net/knowledge-bank/energy/types/thermal

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/work-and-energy/work-and-energy-tutorial/a/what-is-
thermal-energy

https://www.ck12.org/physics/heat-temperature-and-thermal-energy-transfer/lesson/Heat-
Temperature-and-Thermal-Energy-Transfer-PHYS/
https://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kinds-of-energy/what-is-thermal-energy.html
http://alexninakmt.weebly.com/heat-temperature-and-thermal-energy.html
http://www.biocab.org/Heat.html