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2.3.4Thermal Physics

Consequences OF Thermal Energy Transfer — Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 7 parts Lesson 40 of 45 1 quiz

📚 Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 Hub / Topical Revision
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Lesson summary

2.3.4 Consequences of Thermal Energy Transfer — IGCSE PHYSICS notes: Describe everyday applications of conduction, convection and radiation, including cases where several transfers occur.Good conductors — metal pans pass energy to food quickly and metal radiators pass it to the a…

  • Insulators
  • Air spaces
  • Keeping food hot
  • Solar panels
  • Double glazing
  • Wood or coal fire

Part 1 of 5Applications of conduction

Good conductors
  • Good conductors metal pans pass energy to food quickly and metal radiators pass it to the air
Insulators
  • Insulators plastic handles slow transfer to the hand
Air spaces
  • Air spaces air in walls and windows retains energy because air is a poor conductor

Part 2 of 5Applications of convection

Radiator sequence
  • Hot radiator heats nearby air
  • The air particles spread out, making it less dense
  • The less dense air rises
  • Cold air replaces it and is heated
  • The rising air cools, contracts and sinks
Hot drink
  • Hot drink warm air rises above the surface carrying energy away
Name
  • Name a radiator is really a convection heater because radiation contributes very little

Part 3 of 5Applications of radiation

Keeping food hot
  • Keeping food hot the outside of a cooking pan is shiny to reduce loss by radiation
Solar panels
  • Solar panels pipes are dull black to absorb as much radiation as possible

Part 4 of 5Several transfers at once

Tea cup
  • Tea cup conduction through the cup and to the surface, convection from the surface to the air and radiation from the sides
Double glazing
  • Double glazing the air gap reduces conduction and is narrow so convection cannot form
  • Radiation is not reduced because it passes through glass and air
Wood or coal fire
  • Wood or coal fire radiation heats nearby objects and heated air rises as a convection current that spreads energy through the room
Car radiator
  • Coolant absorbs energy from the engine by conduction
  • Coolant passes energy to the radiator by conduction
  • Radiator loses energy to air mainly by convection and by radiation
  • Dark colour and large surface area increase emission

Part 5 of 5More from the specification

More from the specification
Thermal conduction mechanisms in crystalline solids
  • Thermal conduction mechanisms in crystalline solids atomic lattice vibrations and free electron diffusion transfer thermal kinetic energy through conductive solids.
Infrared radiation
  • Infrared radiation all objects emit it, and hotter objects emit more at a higher rate
Greenhouse effect
  • Greenhouse effect gases such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb infrared radiation emitted by the Earth and re-emit part of it back, warming the surface
Evaporation
  • Evaporation faster liquid particles escape from the surface, so the remaining liquid cools
Experiment
  • Experiment comparing cooling of containers with different surfaces, such as shiny and matt black, shows that dark surfaces emit radiation faster
Infrared radiation
  • Infrared radiation all objects emit it, and hotter objects emit more at a higher rate
Greenhouse effect
  • Greenhouse effect gases such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb infrared radiation emitted by the Earth and re-emit part of it back, warming the surface
Evaporation
  • Evaporation faster liquid particles escape from the surface, so the remaining liquid cools
Experiment
  • Experiment comparing cooling of containers with different surfaces, such as shiny and matt black, shows that dark surfaces emit radiation faster
Vibration
  • A repeated backwards and forwards movement.
Greenhouse effect
  • Warming of the Earth because gases absorb and re-emit its infrared radiation
Lattice vibrations
  • Vibrations of atoms or ions about fixed positions that pass energy on
Thermal equilibrium
  • Constant temperature because energy is absorbed and lost at equal rates
Potassium permanganate
  • A purple compound used to show convection currents in water.
Temperature
  • Measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles.
Liquid
  • State with a fixed volume that takes the shape of its container.
Infrared
  • The part of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by warm objects.
Electron
  • Negatively charged particle in an atom.
Lattice
  • The regular arrangement of atoms in a solid.

Key terms

TermMeaning
InsulatorMaterial that reduces thermal energy transfer
Double glazingTwo glass panes with an air gap that reduces conduction and convection
Convection heaterRadiator that heats a room mainly by convection currents
Surface areaLarger area increases the rate of emission

Avoid these mistakes

Avoid these mistakes
Saying a keyword alone identifies the process — identify it from the physics, since shiny or black does not always mean radiation.
Naming only one process when asked for processes — name at least two.
Describing energy changes instead of conduction, convection or radiation — name the transfer process.

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