What is heat?

Heat is a form of energy that is transferred spontaneously between different areas of a

body or from one body to another.

Inthermodynamics"Heat" means "transfer of energy." This transfer always has a

direction defined by the temperature difference between bodies. Heat flows from the hotter body
to the coldest, in order to reach an equilibrium temperature.

Heat can be transferred in three different ways:

Thermal radiation. Heat propagates throughwaveselectromagnetic. All bodies

they emit heat in this way, unless they are at a temperature equal to absolute zero, 0 Kelvin.
Thermal conduction. Heat is transmitted by the agitation of themolecules, which causes the
temperature increases, that theliquidsevaporate, that thesolidsthey merge and that the bodies
they expand.
Thermal convection. Heat is transferred throughmovementof afluid, how can it be
a gas and a liquid. For example, when heating water in a pot, the portion that is in contact
with its base rises when heated, while the surface water descends from the sides when
cool down and take the place left by the hot portion.

Unidadesdecalor

As heat is transfer ofenergycan be measured as energy gain or loss. By

that can be measured with the same unit as any other type of energy: the joule (that, in addition to
heat, serves to measure work and energy).

To measure heat, two additional units are used:

CalorieIts abbreviation is caly, which represents the amount of energy needed to

increase 1 gram ofwaterat 1° C.
Kilocalorie. It is abbreviated as kcal and represents the energy needed to raise 1 kilogram of
water at 1° C.

Difference between heat and temperature

Heat and temperature are different things, although they are closely related to each other. Heat is the
transfer ofthermal energyWhat happens from a body that has a higher temperature to one with a lower temperature?
temperature.

Temperature, on the other hand, is the physical magnitude that measures the thermal state of a body and
thekinetic energyof the molecules that compose it.
The temperature, inside theInternational System of Unitsit can be measured from three scales
different: Kelvin,Celsiusy Fahrenheit.

Types of heat

Different types of heat can be identified. Some of them are the following:

Latent. It is the energy required to change the phase of a certain [Link] asubstance,
that is, its state (solid, liquid or gas). In the change of state from solid to liquid, heat
latent is referred to asfusionIn the change of state from liquid to gas, latent heat is
calls for heat fromvaporizationThese transitions occur without changes in temperature.
It is the heat that generates a change in the temperature of the body that perceives it but
that does not interfere with its molecular structure nor produce phase changes.
Dry. It consists of amethodsterilization thermal that generates in themicroorganismswhat
they shape the body with an effect similar to baking.
SpecificIt is the amount of heat required to increase the temperature by one degree.
of a gram ofdoughof acompound.
Molar specific. It is the amount of heat required to increase by one degree the
temperature of amolof the mass of a compound.

Examples of heat

Some everyday situations in which heat or energy transfer is present can be

the following:

When ironing clothes. After plugging in the appliance, it raises its temperature, it enters into
contact with the fabric and helps to eliminate wrinkles.
From the tea to the cup. When hot tea is served in a cup, the water transfers its heat to the cup
it increases its temperature (which the palms of the hands usually perceive).
When serving food on a plate. If the plate is made of ceramic or some other conductive material, the
The food served in it will conduct heat.
Sand on the beach. The temperature radiated by the sun is absorbed by the grains of sand and that
Heat is transported, for example, to the soles of the feet.
From water to ice cube. When an ice cube is thrown into a jug of water, the water
It transfers its heat by conduction, causing the cube to start melting.
When a person holds a piece of chocolate in their hand for a while, it melts.
chocolate begins to melt due to the transfer of body heat.
When boiling water in a kettle. The heat from the flame conducts to the base of the kettle, which then
transfers to the water and it reaches theboiling point.
A small light bulb is on. When the light bulb is turned on, it quickly emits heat.

Why do bodies expand?

When a body increases itstemperaturethe particles move faster, so they need

more space to move. That is why the body needs to increase its volume.
Thermal expansion is the process by which bodies increase their volume when their temperature rises.
temperature.
When instead of increasing, the temperature decreases, the volume of the body also does.
speaking in these cases of thermal contraction.

These phenomena are especially important when manufacturing certain structures such as
for example train tracks. The industries that manufacture the rails deliver them with a length of about 12
It is necessary to join them (generally bolted) to form the tracks. During the day, the temperature
environment that can reach around 40° and even steel can reach a
very high temperature. Such temperature causes expansions in the tracks favoring that in the
unions cause deformations. For this reason, precisely in these unions a
a separation of about 5 mm called expansion joint.

The problem with this separation is that it is incompatible with the movement of high-speed trains.
speed (250 km/h) as they generate a lot of noise when the train runs over them and the wheels and rails would suffer
breaks. Modern technology has achieved special welds that absorb expansions, for
there are stretches of many kilometers (several dozen) without separations although in the vicinity of the
railway stations are still being used since in those areas trains must greatly reduce their speed
speed.

Specific heat
The specific heat is obtained from the heat capacity and represents the difficulty with which a
Substance exchanges heat with the environment. It is a characteristic of the substances that make up bodies.
and is independent of the mass.

The specific heat of a substance is its heat capacity per unit mass. It is given by the
expression:
c=Cm

Where:

Specific heat. It is the amount of heat that the unit mass of the substance has to
exchange with its environment so that its temperature varies by one Kelvin. Its unit of measurement in the
The International System is joules per kilogram per kelvin (J/kg·K), although it is also used with
calorie frequency per gram and per degree Celsius (cal/g·ºC)
C: Heat capacity. It is the amount of heat that the body can exchange with its
environment for its temperature to vary one kelvin. Its unit of measure in the International System
it is the joule per kelvin (J/K), although the calorie per degree Celsius is also commonly used.
(cal/°C)
Mass. Its unit of measurement in the International System is the kilogram (kg)

Characteristics of specific heat

Some specific characteristics of heat are:

The greater the specific heat of a substance, the more heat needs to be exchanged to
manage to vary its temperature
There is a range of temperatures within which the specific heat is constant. Although at the time
To solve the exercises at this level, a constant is considered, in reality the specific heat of
any substance varies with temperature
Depending on whether the energy (heat) exchange process takes place atpressureconstant or to volume
constancy is referred to as specific heat at constant pressure cpspecific heat at volume
constantecvIf not specified, the process is assumed to be at a constant pressure of 1 atm
oNormally in solids and liquidsp≈cv
oNormally in gases cp≠cv

Fundamental equation of thermology

Thanks to the concept of specific heat, we have an expression to determine the added heat or
extracted from a substance based on the increase in its temperature, its specific heat, and the amount of
mass that we have. This expression is known as the fundamental equation of thermology.

The fundamental equation of thermology establishes the relationship between the increase in temperature
experienced by a certain amount of substance and the heat it exchanges:
Q=m⋅c⋅ΔT

Where:

Q: Heat exchanged. Amount of thermal energy exchanged with the environment. Its unit of
The unit in the International System is the joule (J), although the calorie is also frequently used.
(cal). 1 cal = 4.184 J
m:Mass. Amount of substance considered. Its unit of measurement in the International System is the
kilogram (kg)
c:Specific heat. It represents the ease with which a substance can change its temperature when
exchanges heat with the environment. Its unit of measurement in the International System is the joule per
kilogram per kelvin (J/kg·K) although the calorie per gram and per degree is also frequently used
Celsius (cal/g·ºC). When we know the number of moles of substance instead of its weight (we
for moles), we can use the molar specific heat that is usually specified in J/mol·K
cal/g·°C
∆T: Temperature variation. It is determined by the difference between the initial temperature and the
final∆T=Tf-TiIts unit of measurement in the International System is the kelvin (K), although it is also
it usually uses degrees Celsius (°C)

Sign of heat

If the temperature rises, Tf>Ti⇒ ∆T > 0⇒ Q> 0⇒ the heat is positive, the body gains energy
thermal
If the temperature decreases, Tf<TI⇒ ∆T < 0⇒ Q < 0⇒ the heat is negative, the body loses
thermal energy

Units of measurement for heat

The most commonly used units of measurement for heat are:

The joule (J). It is the unit of heat in the International System. The units of heat are equal to
the units of work since both are processes of energy exchange
 The calorie (cal). Represents the amount of energy that must be supplied to one gram of water.
to increase its temperature by 1ºC
o1 cal = 4.184 J
The kilocalorie (kcal). Also known as large calorie, in contrast to the calorie, which
It is known as a small calorie. It is normally used in nutrition.
o1 kcal = 1000 cal
The British Thermal Unit (BTU). It represents the amount of heat that must be supplied to a
water scale so that it increases its
temperatura 1ºF

Thermodynamic processes.
A thermodynamic process is defined as a
change from one macrostate of equilibrium to another
macrostate. The initial and final states are the
defining elements of the process. During that
process, a system begins from a state initial
I, described by apressure p i, avolume V iy
atemperature Ti , goes through various states
quasi-static to a final state f, described by
a repression p f, the volume Vf , y
a temperature Tf. In this processthe
energyit can be transferred to the system and alsoifcanto workby the system or in it. A
An example of a thermodynamic process is increasing the pressure of a gas while maintaining a
constant temperature. In the following section, there are examples of thermodynamic processes that are of
sum importance in engineering ofthermal engines.