What is the difference between internal energy, temperature, and heat?

Internal energy, temperature, and heat are closely related but distinct concepts. The microscopic particles that make up a body are in constant motion and may exert forces on each other. As such, they each possess some kinetic and potential energy, which summed together give the body's internal energy. Because the internal energy of a body increases the more particles it has, we define the temperature of a body as the mean internal energy of its particles, which means that our measure how hot or cold a body is does not depend on its size. Finally, heat is the energy transferred between two bodies due to their temperature difference, and it always flows from hot to cold. Bodies themselves do not have "heat", only internal energy; it only makes sense to use "heat" when energy transfer occurs between two bodies due to a temperature difference.

SK

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

You have a layer of glass with a refractive index of 1.5 and the glass is surrounded by air. A light ray shines into the glass and Total Internal Reflection occurs at the glass-air boundary. What is the critical angle?


A body with speed v is projected from the surface of the earth(mass M & radius R). Find the maximum distance from the earth that this body reaches before returning back to earth, as a function of the initial speed v, M, R and the gravitational constant G


Explain the gaps within an absorption spectrum and where this may commonly occur in the universe


You are in a vacuum chamber, and you drop a feather and a bowling ball (initially at rest) from a great height. Which will hit the ground first?