Publisher's Synopsis
If you're looking for facts on heat, you've come to the right place. This book will provide you with a quick overview of the basics of heat energy. Learn how heat is created and used. You'll be surprised by how many things you didn't know about it! Keep reading to learn more! And remember, thermal energy is a renewable source of energy. But what exactly is thermal energy? How does it work? Heat energy is the result of the sun's radiation reaching the earth. The earth's atmosphere absorbs the sun's rays and radiates the heat back to space. Dark objects absorb radiant energy faster than light-colored ones, so they can be used as thermometers. Another way heat energy is transferred is through conduction, and this is how a metal spoon handle gets hot when you heat it. Heat can be transferred between objects by conduction, as well. Another common example of heat energy at work is the melting of solids. Adding ice to a glass of water will decrease its temperature. It absorbs thermal energy by converting it to liquid. A glass of water that's at 70 degrees will contain more thermal energy than one that's at 60 degrees. Computer components use heat energy to function, which needs to be cooled with a fan. Meanwhile, a hot stove transmits heat energy by accelerating the speed of water molecules. The first person to discuss the concept of thermal energy was James Joule. Joule discovered that heat is an important component of matter, and that the amount of heat a material has doesn't necessarily depend on the amount of work it performs. The first thermometer was invented in 1689 by the English mathematician James Prescott Joule. He also coined the term "thermal energy."
