Revision: Heat Science SSLC (English Medium) Class 8 Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education

One kilo-calorie of heat is the heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water from 14.5°C to 15.5°C.

The kinetic energy due to random motion of the molecules of a substance is known as its heat energy.

The sum of the potential energy and kinetic energy of a molecule is called its internal energy.

The total internal energy of all the molecules of a substance is called its thermal energy.

Heat is that form of energy which flows from a hot body to a cold body when they are kept in contact.

The measurement of the quantity of heat is called calorimetry.

Substances that do not conduct heat easily are called bad conductors of heat.

Conduction is the process by which heat flows from the hot end to the cold end of a solid body without any net bodily movement of the particles of the body.

Solid substances that conduct heat easily are called good conductors of heat.

Convection is the process by which heat is transmitted through a substance from one point to another due to the actual bodily movement of the heated particles of the substance.

The transfer of heat energy from one place to another via emission of EM energy (in a straight line with the speed of light) without heating the intervening medium is called radiation.

A calorimeter is a cylindrical vessel which is used to measure the amount of heat gained (or lost) by a body when it is mixed with another body or substance.

Calorimetry is the science of measuring heat exchange during physical or chemical processes. The word comes from the Latin calor (heat) + Greek metron (measure).

Temperature is a parameter which tells the thermal state of a body (i.e., the degree of hotness or coldness of the body). It determines the direction of flow of heat when two bodies at different temperatures are placed in contact.

The temperature at which the pressure and volume of a gas theoretically reach zero is called absolute zero.

Coefficient of Linear expansion is equal to the change in length of a rod of length 1m when its temperature rises by 1°C.

Heat capacity or thermal capacity of a body is the quantity of heat needed to raise or lower the temperature of the whole body by 1°C (or 1K).

• Heat capacity or thermal capacity is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a body by 1°C. It is denoted by ‘C’.
• C = Q/t, where C’ is the heat capacity, ‘Q’ is the quantity of heat required and ‘f’ is rise in temperature.
• SI unit of heat capacity is J/K. It is also expressed in cal/°C, kcal/°C or J/°C.

The heat capacity of a body is the amount of heat energy required to raise its temperature by 1°C or 1K.

The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of unit mass of that substance through 1°C (or 1 K).

OR

Heat capacity of a body when expressed for the unit mass is called the specific heat capacity of the substance of that body.

OR

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of an object by 1 °C is called the specific heat of that object.

The heat capacity of a body is the quantity of heat required to raise its temperature by 1°C. It depends upon the mass and the nature of the body.

Heat capacity = Q = m × s

• SI Unit: J/K (or equivalently J/°C)
• Dimensional Formula: [ML²T⁻²K⁻¹]

Specific heat capacity c = \[\frac{\text{Heat capacity of body } C'}{\text{Mass of the body } m}\]

or

Specific heat capacity c = \[\frac{Q}{m\times\Delta t}\]

• Heat is the energy that flows from a hot body to a cold body when they are kept in contact.
• The S.I. unit of heat is joule (J), while calorie and kilocalorie are commonly used units.
• One calorie is approximately equal to 4.2 joule, and kilocalorie is used to measure the energy value of foods.

• The transfer of heat from the hot part to the cold part of an object is called conduction of heat.
• Conduction takes place through solid substances only — it requires a medium.
• Heat travels by molecular collisions: fast-vibrating molecules pass energy to slower neighbours.
• Copper conducts heat faster than aluminium, which conducts faster than steel.
• Conduction of heat through a substance depends on the property of that substance.
• Good conductors: silver, copper, aluminium, brass — all metals.
• Bad conductors: wood, cloth, air, paper — most non-metals.
• Good conductors of heat are also good conductors of electricity, and bad conductors of heat are also bad conductors of electricity.

• Convection occurs only in fluids (liquids and gases) — not in solids.
• In conduction, molecules vibrate but stay in place.
• In convection, molecules physically move from one place to another.
• Heating reduces density → hot fluid rises; cool fluid sinks → a convection current is set up.
• Convection currents transfer heat to the entire mass of the fluid.
• Potassium permanganate makes convection currents visible as magenta-coloured streams.

• When water is heated from the top, its density decreases, and it stays at the top. Since hot water cannot sink, convection does not occur and the bottom remains cool.
• Radiation is the transfer of heat without a medium — through electromagnetic waves.
• Heat from the Sun reaches us through radiation across the vacuum of space.
• All objects above 0 K emit thermal radiation (electromagnetic waves).
• Radiation is a two-step process: thermal energy → EM waves → thermal energy.
• Black or dark surfaces absorb more heat radiation; absorption also depends on the intrinsic properties of the substance.
• An infrared camera uses the radiation emitted by objects to see at night — useful for military surveillance.
• Copper is an excellent conductor; plastic is a bad conductor (insulator).
• Heat readily conducts through metals (copper and steel) but not through non-metals (wood and plastic).

• Calorimeter: An insulated device used to measure heat transfer during a process.
• Principle of Calorimetry: Heat lost = Heat gained (energy is conserved).
• Method of Mixtures: Heat a sample, place it in the calorimeter, and measure the temperature change to calculate the heat.
• Formula: Used to calculate the specific heat of a substance from measured temperatures and masses.
• Good Practice: Transfer the sample quickly and stir well for accurate results.
• Why Water is Used: Water has high specific heat, so it absorbs a lot of heat without a large temperature change.

• If no heat flows between two bodies in contact, they are said to be at the same temperature, even though their thermal energies may be different.
• The S.I. unit of temperature is kelvin (K), and absolute zero (0 K) is the temperature at which molecular motion ceases.

• Heat energy absorbed (Q) depends on: mass (m), rise in temperature (Δt), and specific heat capacity (c), i.e., Q ∝ m × Δt × c.
• Heat capacity (C') and specific heat capacity (c) are related by: C′ = m × c.