Glossary

conduction

heat transfer through stationary matter by physical contact

convection

heat transfer by the macroscopic movement of fluid

emissivity

measure of how well an object radiates

greenhouse effect

warming of the Earth that is due to gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb infrared radiation from the Earth’s surface and reradiate it in all directions, thus sending a fraction of it back toward the surface of the Earth

heat

the spontaneous transfer of energy due to a temperature difference

heat of sublimation

the energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the vapor phase

kilocalorie

$1\text{kilocalorie}\text{=}\text{1000}\text{calories}$

latent heat coefficient

a physical constant equal to the amount of heat transferred for every 1 kg of a substance during the change in phase of the substance

mechanical equivalent of heat

the work needed to produce the same effects as heat transfer

net rate of heat transfer by radiation

is $\frac{Q_{\text{net}}}{t}=\sigma eA\left(T_2^4-T_1^4\right)$

R factor

the ratio of thickness to the conductivity of a material

radiation

energy transferred by electromagnetic waves directly as a result of a temperature difference

radiation

heat transfer which occurs when microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, or other electromagnetic radiation is emitted or absorbed

rate of conductive heat transfer

rate of heat transfer from one material to another

specific heat

the amount of heat necessary to change the temperature of 1.00 kg of a substance by 1.00 ºC

Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation

$\frac{Q}{t}=\sigma eA{T}^4,$ where $\sigma$ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, $A$ is the surface area of the object, $T$ is the absolute temperature, and $e$ is the emissivity

sublimation

the transition from the solid phase to the vapor phase

thermal conductivity

the property of a material’s ability to conduct heat