Heat Energy and Climate Change - Term Paper Example

Program 30 November Heat energy and climate change Heat is one of the forms in which energy may exist. It is an internal energy in a body and is transferred from hotter points to colder points. It is a significant for of energy in the contemporary society because of its positive and negative effects. While the form of energy is useful in industrial set ups such as in geothermal electricity generation, its effects environmental effects of global warming that also extend to health effects are evident.

An understanding of heat mechanism, heat and mechanical work, and mechanisms of heat transfer is therefore necessary. Heat mechanismHeat energy emerges from behavior of atoms in a body and it can be quantified through temperature scale. Cheshire explains that atomic motion results in heat energy and possessed energy defines temperature (13). In addition, heat energy spread in an environment based on temperature gradient and moves from regions with high temperatures to regions with low temperatures, a definition that is consistent with Sang’s classification of heat as an energy transfer (81).

Mechanism of heat also identifies and relates to the principles of motion and conservation of energy. Based on energy conservation law, energy cannot be “created or destroyed” but may be converted to other forms (Chesire 25). Newton’s first law of motion however explains that a body maintains its velocity unless an external force acts on it while Newton’s second law explains that force (and by extension, energy) is proportional to kinetic energy (Giordano 40, 41). Consequently, atoms in a body will continue to move at a constant aggregate force and retain the body’s heat energy unless an external force converts energy in the body, positively or negatively.

Example of a change is converted energy into a body that would increase velocity of atoms to increase heat energy in the body. Heat and mechanical workLaws of thermodynamics explain the relationship between heat energy and mechanical energy. From the second law of thermodynamics, mechanical energy can be converted to heat energy while the third law of thermodynamics explains that heat energy can be converted to mechanical energy (Giordano 535). Mechanical work can therefore yield heat energy and heat energy can be converted into mechanical energy for doing mechanical work.

Mechanisms of heat transferDirect heat transfer from a body or into a body occurs through conduction, convection, or radiation. Conduction is the heat transfer through movement of atoms from hot to cold regions and is common in metals in their atomic states and in ionic compounds. Convection is another mechanism of heat transfer and occurs in gases and liquids in molecular states in which movements of the molecules aid heat transfer (Cheshire 27, 28). Heat transfer though radiation does not however require a medium for transfer and transfer from the sun to the earth’s surface is an example (Sang 155).

The law of energy conservation and laws of motion explains mechanisms for development and transfer of heat energy. The energy transfer depends on temperature difference between objects or points of an object. Conservation of energy also establishes the relationship between heat energy and mechanical work. Energy conversion and energy transfer through conduction, convection, or radiation can therefore aid mechanical works for further energy conservation or for aiding economic activities. Works citedCheshire, Gerald.

Energy and matter. London, UK: Evans Brothers, 2010. Print. Giordano, Nicholas. College physics: Reasoning and relationships. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Sang, David. Cambridge IGCSE physics coursebook with CD-ROM. London, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Print.