Thermal Properties of Matter

Class 11 Physics · Physics Part II · Chapter 3

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Summary

Temperature is a measure of the hotness of a body, and heat is energy transferred between a body and its surroundings because of a temperature difference. Temperature is measured on the Celsius, Fahrenheit and absolute (Kelvin) scales, related by \(t_F=\tfrac95 t_C+32\) and \(T=t_C+273.15\); the ideal-gas equation \(PV=\mu RT\) defines absolute temperature, with absolute zero at \(-273.15^{\circ}\)C. Most substances expand on heating, characterised by coefficients of linear, area and volume expansion with \(\alpha_V\approx3\alpha_L\); water shows anomalous expansion near 4 degrees Celsius. Specific heat capacity is the heat needed to raise unit mass by one degree, and molar specific heat refers to one mole; calorimetry uses the principle that heat lost equals heat gained. During a change of state — melting, vaporisation — temperature stays constant and the heat absorbed is the latent heat. Heat is transferred by conduction (through \(H=KA\,\Delta T/L\)), convection and radiation. A black body absorbs all radiation; Stefan's law gives the radiated power as proportional to \(T^{4}\), Wien's law gives the wavelength of peak emission, and the greenhouse effect warms the Earth. Newton's law of cooling states that the rate of cooling is proportional to the temperature difference with the surroundings.

Temperature and heat; measurement of temperatureIdeal-gas equation and absolute temperatureThermal expansionSpecific heat capacity and calorimetryChange of state and latent heatHeat transfer: conduction, convection, radiationNewton's law of cooling

Key terms

Heat
Energy transferred between a system and its surroundings owing to a difference of temperature.
Absolute temperature
Temperature measured on the Kelvin scale, defined through the ideal-gas equation with zero at \(-273.15^{\circ}\)C.
Coefficient of linear expansion
The fractional increase in length per unit rise in temperature, \(\alpha_L=\Delta L/(L\,\Delta T)\).
Specific heat capacity
The heat required to raise the temperature of unit mass of a substance by one degree.
Latent heat
The heat absorbed or released per unit mass during a change of state at constant temperature.
Thermal conductivity
A measure of a material's ability to conduct heat, the constant \(K\) in \(H=KA\,\Delta T/L\).

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Heat is energy that flows because of a difference in:
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