PHYS 2 LM1: Temperature and Thermal Energy

I. Targets

At the end of this module, Science major students are expected to;
a. distinguish between heat and temperature;
b. describe how heat is related to thermal energy;
c. explain how temperature is measured; and
d. compare the three common temperature scales.

II. Notes

Heat and temperature are important concepts for each of us, every day. How we
dress in the morning depends on whether the day is hot or cold, and most of what we do
requires energy that ultimately comes from the Sun. The study of heat and temperature is
part of an area of physics known as thermodynamics. The laws of thermodynamics govern
the flow of energy throughout the universe. They are studied in all areas of science and
engineering, from chemistry to biology to environmental science.
Heat is familiar to all of us. We can feel heat entering our bodies from the summer
Sun or from hot coffee or tea after a winter stroll. We can also feel heat leaving our bodies
as we feel the chill of night or the cooling effect of sweat after exercise. What is heat? How
do we define it and how is it related to temperature? What are the effects of heat and how
does it flow from place to place?

Temperature

When scientists think about high and low temperatures they don’t think about
“hot” and “cold”.  They think about particles of matter in motion.
Temperature is defined as a measure of the average kinetic energy of the
individual particles. Since all matter is made up of tiny particles and they are
always in motion, even if the matter they make up is stationary. The faster the particles
move, the more kinetic energy they have.

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Which has more kinetic energy? What happens if you heat the milk?

Thermometers and Temperature Scales

Any physical property that depends consistently and reproducibly on temperature
can be used as the basis of a thermometer.

Figure 1
a. Alcohol thermometer, b . liquid crystal thermometer & c. pyrometer

Thermometers measure temperature according to well-defined scales of

measurement. The three most common temperature scales are Fahrenheit, Celsius, and
Kelvin. Temperature scales are created by identifying two reproducible temperatures. The
freezing and boiling temperatures of water at standard atmospheric pressure are
commonly used. On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water is 0°C and the boiling
point is 100°C. The unit of temperature on this scale is the degree Celsius (°C). The
Fahrenheit scale (still the most frequently used for common purposes in the United States)
has the freezing point of water at 32°F and the boiling point at 212°F. Its unit is the degree
Fahrenheit (°F). You can see that 100-Celsius degrees span the same range as 180

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Fahrenheit degrees. Thus, a temperature difference of one degree on the Celsius scale is
1.8 times as large as a difference of one degree on the Fahrenheit scale, or

Experiments confirm the existence of such a temperature, called absolute zero. An

absolute temperature scale is one whose zero point is absolute zero. Such scales are
convenient in science because several physical quantities, such as the volume of an ideal
gas, are directly related to absolute temperature. The Kelvin scale is the absolute
temperature scale that is commonly used in science. The SI temperature unit is the kelvin,
which is abbreviated K (not accompanied by a degree sign). Thus, 0 K is absolute zero.
The freezing and boiling points of water are 273.15 K and 373.15 K, respectively.
Therefore, temperature differences are the same in units of kelvins and degrees Celsius,
or

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 Sample Problems
1. The normal body temperature is 37 ℃. How will you express this temperature in ℉ and
K?
Given: T = 37 ℃
Find: T in terms of (a) ℉ and (b) K
Solution:
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a. F= C +32= ( 37 )+ 32=98.6 ℉
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b. K = C + 273
= 37 + 273
= 310 K
2. A child’s temperature is 103 ℉. Does the child have fever?
Given: T = 103℉
Find: If the child has fever
Solution:
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C= ( F−32 )= ( 103−32 )= ( 71 )=39.4 ℃
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The equivalent Celsius scale reading shows that the child has fever.

Thermal Energy and Heat

Different objects at the same temperature can have different energies.
Temperature, thermal energy, and heat are closely related, but they are all different.

Thermal Energy:
It is the total energy of all of the particles in an object. Measured in Joules.
Depends on the number of particles in the object, temperature of the object, and the
arrangement of
the particles.
 More particles an object has at a given temperature, the more thermal energy it
has.
 The higher the temperature of an object, the more thermal energy it has (since the
particles are moving more)
 Arrangement of particles depends on the phase of matter it’s in (so, gases have
the most thermal energy since their particles are moving the fastest).

Heat

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  It is defined as the transfer of thermal energy from matter at a higher temperature
to matter at a lower temperature.
 Objects contain thermal energy, not heat as we often say in everyday conversation.

 Heat is thermal energy moving from a warmer object to a colder object.

 
III. Exercises/Written Activities

A. Hot vs. Cold : In the outer circles, write details that tell how cold and hot objects are different.
Where the circles overlap, write details that tell how the subjects are alike.

B. Essay. Directions: Answer the following questions briefly but intelligently. Write all your answers
on the provided answer sheet.

1. How is the motion of the particles within a substance related to the thermal energy of the
substance?

2. Some laboratory thermometers use alcohol instead of mercury. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of using alcohol in thermometers?

3. Why is a clinical thermometer usually shaken before use?

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4. Why are there no negative temperatures on the Kelvin scale?

5. Why will a cube of ice placed in a beaker with 100 g water at 27 ℃ melt faster than an
ice cube of the same size placed in a beaker with 10 grams water at ℃?

6. A block of ice at 0 ℃ is placed in a room whose temperature is also 0 ℃. Predict and

explain what will happen to the ice.

7. In your own words, differentiate between heat and temperature.

C. Problem-Solving: Read and understand each problem below. Show your complete solutions on
the provided answer sheet.

1. The highest atmospheric temperature ever recorded on Earth was 57.8℃. How will you
express this temperature in ℉ and K?
o
2. The melting point of sulfur is 115 C. What is the corresponding Fahrenheit
temperature?

IV. Performance Tasks

Some of the performance tasks given below can be done at home. (Note: Use
improvised material/s if the said equipment is not available at home). All answers will be
explained on the provided answer sheet.

A. Drop a cube of ice into a 250 mL beaker containing 100 g of water (100 mL) at 27 ℃
and
at the same time another ice cube into a beaker containing 10 g of water (10 mL) at
37 o C. Compare the size of the ice cube in the two beakers after 1 minute. Which of the
two beakers of water gave off more heat? Why?

B. Set up three 600 mL beakers – labeled A, B, and C – with hot, cold and lukewarm
water, respectively. Place your right hand in the beaker of cold water and your left hand in
the beaker of hot water for the same length of time. Remove your right hand from the
beaker and dip it in the lukewarm water, then put your left hand in beaker C. What did you
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feel in both cases? Will this give you an accurate measurement of temperature? Why or
why not?

C. Prepare reports on the different kinds of thermometers: liquid-in-glass thermometer,

platinum-resistance thermometer, thermocouple, optical pyrometer, and thermograph.
(Note: Answers will be uploaded in the google classroom.)
V. Learning Insights
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References:

Crisostomo, Ricardo M., and Padua, Alicia L. Practical and Explorational Physics.1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon City: Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2005-2006

Navaza, Delia C., and Valdez, Bienvenido J. You and The Natural World: Physics. 927 Quezon
Avenue, Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc., 2010

Alumaga, Maria Jessica B., et. al, Conceptual and Functional Chemistry. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon City: Vibal Publishing House, Inc., 2010

Borgnakke, Claus, and Sonntag, Richard E. Fundamentals of Thermodynamics. United

States of America: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2013

Ling, Samuel J., Sanny, Jeff, et.al, University Physics. Houston, Texas 77005:
OpenStax, 2018

Serway, Raymond, A. and Vuille, Chris. College Physics, 9th Edition. 20 Channel Center
Street Boston, MA 02210 USA: Charles Hartford, 2012

Web Links:
http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics1 http://bit.ly/ProfDavePhysics2

https://study.com/academy/lesson/temperature-units-converting-between-kelvins-and-celsius.html

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everyone” – Romans 12:17
Prepared by:
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 MR. RICKY RAS

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