Question

Four students are discussing heat, thermal energy and temperature. Claire says temperature indicates the amount of heat in an object. Hazel states that heat is a transfer of energy. Connor says that, if two objects have equal masses, the hottest object has the most thermal energy. Evan disagrees. He says that, if two objects have equal masses, the hottest object has the most heat.Which students are correct?a) Claire and Evanb) Claire and Connorc) Hazel and Evand) Hazel and Connor

Answer 1

Heat is the thermal energy being transfered from a hottest object to a cooler one. Thermal energy, on the other hand, refers to the energy that's responsible for the temperature of an object. And temperature is the intensity of heat that's present in this object. If the temperature of an object doesn't change but it's mass increases, this means that the thermal energy is also increasing. Therefore, when two objects have the same mass but different temperatures, the hottest object has greater thermal energy. Therefore, Claire was wrong because temperature indicates the intensity of heat, not the amount, and Hazel was right about his definition of heat. Connor was also right by sayig that the hottest object (when both objects have equal masses) has the most thermal energy, and Evan was wrong because it is the most thermal energy, not the most heat. Therefore, the correct answer is d) Hazel and Connor.