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heat

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Also known as amount of heat, heat energy, quantity of heat

In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not contain heat. Nevertheless, the term is also often used to refer to the thermal energy contained in a system as a component of its internal energy and that is reflected in the temperature of the system.

AI overview

Heat is energy that flows between objects or systems when there's a temperature difference between them, crossing from the warmer side to the cooler side. Understanding heat matters because it explains how energy moves in the physical world and is fundamental to how machines, weather systems, and countless natural processes work.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Physical quantity.name
Heat
Physical quantity.image
Glowing metal.jpg
Physical quantity.caption
A glowing-hot metal bar showing incandescence, the emission of light due to its temperature, is often recognized as a source of heat.
Physical quantity.unit
joule
Physical quantity.otherunits
British thermal unit, calorie
Physical quantity.symbols
Q
Physical quantity.baseunits
kg⋅m2⋅s−2
Physical quantity.dimension
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Commons category
Heat
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~63 min read

Article

38 sections
Contents
  • Notation and units
  • History
  • 17th century–early 18th century
  • "Heat is motion"
  • 18th century
  • Heat vs. temperature
  • Evaporative cooling
  • Discovery of specific heat
  • Degrees of heat
  • Discovery of latent heat
  • First calorimeter
  • Classical thermodynamics
  • Clausius (1850)
  • James Clerk Maxwell (1871)
  • Bryan (1907)
  • Carathéodory (1909)
  • Planck (1926)
  • Heat transfer
  • Heat transfer between two bodies
  • Heat engine
  • Heat pump or refrigerator
  • Macroscopic view
  • Microscopic view
  • Calorimetry
  • Engineering
  • Latent and sensible heat
  • Heat capacity
  • "Hotness"
  • Classical thermodynamics
  • Heat and enthalpy
  • Heat and entropy
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Quotations
  • Bibliography of cited references
  • Further bibliography
  • External links

In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not contain heat. Nevertheless, the term is also often used to refer to the thermal energy contained in a system as a component of its internal energy and that is reflected in the temperature of the system.

Calorimetry is measurement of heat by its effect on the states of interacting bodies, for example, by the amount of ice melted or by change in temperature of a body.

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