Heat Unit – Vocabulary Terms
Melting point: the temperature at which a substance melts; ice melts into water at 0 degrees
Celsius.
Freezing point: the temperature at which a substance freezes; the melting point and freezing
point are the same – the only difference is if energy is being added to the substance or
removed.
Boiling point: the temperature at which a substance boils.
Thermal energy: a measure of the TOTAL amount of energy that the particles that make up a
substance have.
Temperature: a measure of the AVERAGE amount of energy that the particles that make up a
substance have.
Heat: the process that occurs when thermal energy moves from one object to another, because
they have different temperatures.
Absolute zero: the temperature on the Kelvin scale where all particle motion would stop; we’ve
never been able to get any matter to absolute zero.
Conduction: transfer of thermal energy (heating) from one solid to another due to direct
contact.
Convection: transfer of thermal energy (heating) through a liquid of gas swirling around due to
changes in density.
Radiation: transfer of thermal energy (heating) through electromagnetic waves.
Insulators: a substance that does NOT readily allow heat to pass through it.
Conductors: a substance that allows heat to pass through it.
Thermal Expansion: the increase in volume of a substance due to an increase in temperature.