Heat transference is the exchange of thermal energy, or heat, between two substances. Anytime an object is heated, it is because of heat transfer since, due to the laws of conservation of energy, energy can neither be created nor destroyed; high concentrations of heat want to move to low concentrations of heat and visa-versa. Therefore, heat transference is what causes everything to heat up or cool down. On a chemical scale, quickly moving and hot molecules interact with slower moving and cooler molecules and transfer some of their energy (which in this case is in the form of heat) to them until the two substances reach equilibrium.
A good every-day example of heat transfer is when a person makes a snowball with bare hands. The person transfers energy to the snow in an effort to achieve equilibrium. The person’s hands will get colder as energy in the form of heat is transferred to the snowball. In contrast, the snowball will begin to melt as it absorbs some of the energy from the person’s hands. This is an excellent example of heat transfer because it occurs very often and is a simple representation of heat transfer.
Scholarly articles:
“The physiological equivalent temperature – a universal index for the biometeorological assessment of the thermal environment” by P. Höppe. International Journal of Biometeorology. May 26, 1999. http://www.springerlink.com/content/pu50qardua56k6em/
“Journal of Fluid Mechanics” by PR Owen and WR Thomson. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. March 28, 2006. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=369150
3 comments:
I really liked your example of how there is heat transfer when you make a snow ball with your bare hands. The heat from your body is transferred to the snow which will actually cause it to start melting due to the change in temperature. It will go from a solid to a liquid pretty fast. I also agree with your comment on how when energy is being transferred, the heat energy will keep moving until the two object have reached an equilibrium. It was interesting to read about how one of your sources talked about the connection between the temperature in an environment the the temperature of someone in the environment and how the heat transfer worked in cases like that.
I really like your main example to demonstrate heat transfer. Using snow balls greatly intrigued me, as well as audiences of all ages, because snow somehow activates everyone's inner kid. This effective approach and clear definition made reading this post very easy and enjoyable. Your external links are very informative and the articles are relevant. Very fun article!
Katie, I enjoyed reading your post, it was a good topic for incorporating energy into every day activities. It is also interesting how this relates to the heat transfer that we are looking at with metals in class.
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