Glossary

Sections

Glossary

Glossary

conduction: heat transfer through stationary matter by physical contact

convection: heat transfer by the macroscopic movement of fluid

emissivity: measure of how well an object radiates

greenhouse effect: warming of Earth that is due to gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb infrared radiation from Earth’s surface and reradiate it in all directions, thus sending a fraction of it back toward the surface of Earth

heat: the spontaneous transfer of energy due to a temperature difference

heat of sublimation: the energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the vapor phase

kilocalorie: $1 kilocalorie = 1,000 calories$

latent heat coefficient: a physical constant equal to the amount of heat transferred for every 1 kg of a substance during the change in phase of the substance

mechanical equivalent of heat: the work needed to produce the same effects as heat transfer

net rate of heat transfer by radiation: is $\frac{Q_{net}}{t} = σ e A (T_{2}^{4} - T_{1}^{4})$

R factor: the ratio of thickness to the conductivity of a material

radiation: heat transfer which occurs when microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, or other electromagnetic radiation is emitted or absorbed

radiation: energy transferred by electromagnetic waves directly as a result of a temperature difference

rate of conductive heat transfer: rate of heat transfer from one material to another

specific heat: the amount of heat necessary to change the temperature of 1.00 kg of a substance by 1.00 ºC

Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation: $\frac{Q}{t} = σ e A T^{4},$ where $σ$ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, $A$ is the surface area of the object, $T$ is the absolute temperature, and $e$ is the emissivity

sublimation: the transition from the solid phase to the vapor phase

thermal conductivity: the property of a material’s ability to conduct heat