Have you ever wondered what makes
an object hot? The answer is thermal energy. It is simply the movement of
particles in an object. Temperature is determined by how fast those particles
move. For example, in a hot cup of tea the particles will be moving fast and
randomly, but in a cup of iced tea the particles will be moving slowly.
Some people assume that thermal
energy and heat are the same thing, but heat is actually a process. Heat energy
always flows from the object of a higher temperature to an object with a lower
temperature. This is called heat transfer. The second law of Thermodynamics
states that it is impossible for heat to flow from the cooler object to the
hotter object. There are three ways that
heat transfer occurs: convection, conduction, and radiation.
Thermal energy is very important to us. We use it to cook
our meals, heat our homes, and to generate electricity. Do you think that we
would be able to survive without it?
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