How does heat transfer take place?

In summary: This is how radiation works.Photons cause heat by causing molecules to move when absorbed. This is how radiation works.a. When a molecule absorbs a photon, it moves faster. That is heating through radiation.b. When molecules bump into each other as I dryly stated, that is heating by conduction.c. When a moving molecule is brought somewhere else, that is heating by convection.
  • #1
manogyana25
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I'm having a problem with understanding how energy flows from one body to the other.

So gases at high pressure travel towards low pressured areas. So there is a reason behind this. Since molecules of gases have the tendency to move away from each other, they travel towards low pressured areas. So molecules are the paticles that comprise all the matter.
So what is heat energy comprised of? Are there any particles in it? Why does it travel from a hotter body to a colder body??
 
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  • #2
Heat energy comes from the speed of those molecules. The more they bump off of each other, the hotter the substance.
 
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  • #3
There are three forms of heat transfer: convection, radiation, and conduction. Google them.
 
  • #4
Your answer is what heat is made of and if it comprises of particles?
I can only say you that it isn't a substance: in past one believed it was a form of matter like fluid but then it was discovered that in a solid object after heat transfer there wasn't an appreciable decrease of mass. Now it is defined as a energy in transfer.
Kinetic theory explains at a microscopic level how this transfer take place: matter is made of particles like molecules which get this energy; the disordered motion of the molecules in gases or their vibrations in solids , which are due to heat, generates heat exchanges among this particles.
Another way of transfer, we've seen, is radiation: here the heat is emitted from an emitting surface of a warm body as infrared, an electromagnetic wave, and then it is absorbed by a receiving surface.
 
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  • #5
Blackberg said:
Heat energy comes from the speed of those molecules. The more they bump off of each other, the hotter the substance.

Then what are photons actually??
 
  • #6
Pierce610 said:
Your answer is what heat is made of and if it comprises of particles?
I can only say you that it isn't a substance: in past one believed it was a form of matter like fluid but then it was discovered that in a solid object after heat transfer there wasn't an appreciable decrease of mass. Now it is defined as a energy in transfer.
Kinetic theory explains at a microscopic level how this transfer take place: matter is made of particles like molecules which get this energy; the disordered motion of the molecules in gases or their vibrations in solids , which are due to heat, generates heat exchanges among this particles.
Another way of transfer, we've seen, is radiation: here the heat is emitted from an emitting surface of a warm body as infrared, an electromagnetic wave, and then it is absorbed by a receiving surface.
Thanks a lot! That was a good explanation. But I came to know that light contains mas less particles called photons. Light is a form of energy, right? Then why doesn't heat energy have those particles?
 
  • #7
manogyana25 said:
Thanks a lot! That was a good explanation. But I came to know that light contains mas less particles called photons. Light is a form of energy, right? Then why doesn't heat energy have those particles?
You might want to give some thought to what sunlight is.
 
  • #8
manogyana25 said:
Thanks a lot! That was a good explanation. But I came to know that light contains mas less particles called photons. Light is a form of energy, right? Then why doesn't heat energy have those particles?
I'm nice to help you; but I'm not an expert and so I can't tell you...
 
  • #9
Pierce610 said:
I'm nice to help you; but I'm not an expert and so I can't tell you...
No, you don't have to say that you aren't an expert sir. You helped me a lot, so thank you once again Mr. Pierce610.. :smile::smile::smile:
 
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  • #10
manogyana25 said:
Then what are photons actually??
Photons are quantum objects. If you measure them for wave properties, they will show wave properties but they are not classical waves. If you measure them for particle properties, they will show particle properties, but they are not classical particles. They are quantum objects. Period.
 
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  • #11
manogyana25 said:
Then what are photons actually??

a. When a molecule absorbs a photon, it moves faster. That is heating through radiation.
b. When molecules bump into each other as I dryly stated, that is heating by conduction.
c. When a moving molecule is brought somewhere else, that is heating by convection.

When I say "moving", that includes rotation, vibration, and going somewhere else.

So photons can cause heat, with a. above, but photons "are" not heat. Photons cause heat by causing molecules to move when absorbed.
 

Related to How does heat transfer take place?

1. What is the definition of heat transfer?

Heat transfer is the process of energy (in the form of heat) being transferred from one object or substance to another due to a difference in temperature.

2. What are the three modes of heat transfer?

The three modes of heat transfer are conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is the transfer of heat through direct contact between two objects or substances. Convection is the transfer of heat through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases). Radiation is the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves.

3. How does conduction heat transfer work?

In conduction, heat is transferred from a warmer object to a cooler object through direct contact. The molecules in the warmer object vibrate more vigorously, transferring their energy to the molecules in the cooler object, causing them to vibrate and increase in temperature.

4. What is an example of convection heat transfer?

An example of convection heat transfer is boiling water. The heat from the stove causes the water molecules at the bottom of the pot to become less dense and rise to the surface. As they rise, they transfer their heat to the cooler water molecules at the top. This creates a circular motion, with the hot water rising and the cooler water sinking, resulting in the entire pot of water reaching the boiling point.

5. How does radiation heat transfer differ from conduction and convection?

Unlike conduction and convection, radiation heat transfer does not require any medium for the transfer of heat. Instead, it can occur through empty space. This is because electromagnetic waves (such as light and infrared radiation) can travel through a vacuum and transfer heat from a warmer object to a cooler object without the need for direct contact or a medium.

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