All objects are continuously absorbing and emitting thermal radiation
The hotter an object the more radiation it emits
Different surfaces are better at absorbing or
emitting radiation than others
Dark matt surfaces are the best emitters and
absorbers of infra red radiation
Light, shiny surfaces are the worst
emitters and absorbers of infra red
radiation
Light, shiny surfaces are able to
reflect infra red radiation well
Kinetic Theory
The kinetic particle theory helps to explain the way
in which the different states of matter behave
The particles in solids, liquids and gases have different
amounts of energy,are arranged differently and move in
different ways
Particles in solids are
arranged closely in a regular
pattern and vibrate around a
fixed position
This means that they: they have a
fixed shape, cannot flow, and cannot
be squashed or compressed.
Particles in a liquid are arranged
close together in a random pattern
and move around each other
This means that they; they flow taking the
shape of the shape of the container and cannot
be squashed or compressed
Particles in gases are far apart,
random and move quickly and
freely in any direction
This means that they: can be
squashed and compressed, and
take the shape of their container
completely
Energy Transfer by
Heating
Conduction
Metals are good conductors
of heat whereas non-metals
are insulators
The particles in a metal have a kinetic energy
and the hotter the metal is the more kinetic
energy they have
The electrons in the metal leave their atoms making them charged
metal ions
The ions are packed tightly and vibrate contiually
The kinetic energy moves from the hot area of
the metal to the cool by free electrons which
move through the structure of the metal, colliding
with the ions as they go
Convection
Convection occurs in fluids (fluids and
gases)
Convection occurs when when
hot particles in a fluid take the
place of particles with little heat
energy
Fluids expand when they get hotter because the particles
move more and take up more volume
This is because the gap between particles get bigger
when the particles stay the same size making them
less dense
The rarer particles in the hot areas then rise in to the cooler areas, taking the
place of the denser particles
The denser particles then fall to the hot
area where they grow warmer and rarer
so that they can take the place of the
denser articles and so on
This is called a convection current
Changes of State
Evaporation is when a liquid
changes to a gas
Some particles in a liquid have
more energy than others, so they
are able to escape from the liquid
and become a gas
The remaining particles of the liquids have less
energy so the liquid cools down
This is why we sweat
The rate of evaporation is increased as the
temperature of the liquid is increased
The rate of evaporation is also increased if air moves over
the particles and if the surface area of the liquid is
increased
Condensation is when a gas
changes to a liquid
Particles in a gas have different
energies and some of the particles
don;t have enough energy remain
separate so they move closer and
form bonds
Energy is released
when this happens
The rate of condensation increases
when the temperature of the gas is
decreased
The bigger the temperature difference between
an object and its surroundings, the faster the rate
at which energy is transferred
Heating and insulating
buildings
U-values are simple ranking system which
measures the effectiveness of a material as an
insulator
The lower the U-value the better the material is as an
insulator
Solar panels can be used to heat water, which is
contained in the panel, using radiation from the sun in
order to heat buildings or provide domestic hot water
Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to
change the temperature of a 1kg substance by 1 degree
celsius
The equation for specific heat capacity is: E = m × c × θ
E is the energy transferred in joules, J m is the mass of the substances in kg,
c is the specific heat capacity in J / kg °C θ (‘theta’) is the temperature change
in degrees Celsius, °C