Conceptual Physics

Chapter 18: Thermodynamics

Temperature Measures Average Kinetic Energy

The hotness of a material is related to the average kinetic energy of the submicroscopic particles within that material. In general, the hotter the material, the greater the average kinetic energy of its particles. We say "average" kinetic energy because the particles are all moving at different speeds--some fast some slow. Duration: 1:40.

VIDEO QUIZ

Thermometers Measure Temperature

Temperature is best judged using some external reference, such as the expansion or contraction of a liquid. Two temperature scales, the Celsius and Fahrenheit, are demonstrated. Duration: 6:06

VIDEO QUIZ

The Tailor of Celsius!

The story of the tailor of Celsius is used to illustrate the need for the Kelvin temperature scale. This absolute scale is then compared with the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Duration: 8:16

VIDEO QUIZ

Watch these additional videos to complete this tutorial.

Table of Videos

Chapter 1: About Science
- 1.1 Scientific Measurements
- 1.2 Scientific Methods
- 1.3 Science, Art, and Religion
- 1.4 Science and Technology
- 1.5 Physics - The Basic Science
- 1.6 In Perspective
- Math Corner: Sig Figs and Precision
Chapter 2: Newton's First Law
- 2.1 Aristotle on Motion
- 2.2 Galileo's Experiments
- 2.3 Newton's First Law of Motion
- 2.4 Net Force and Vectors
- 2.5 The Equilibrium Rule
- 2.6 Support Force
- 2.7 Equilibrium of Moving Things
- 2.8 The Moving Earth
Chapter 3: Linear Motion
- 3.1 Motion is Relative
- 3.2 Speed
- 3.3 Velocity
- 3.4 Acceleration
- 3.5 Free Fall
- 3.6 Velocity Vectors
Chapter 4: Newton's Second Law
- 4.1 Force Causes Acceleration
- 4.2 Friction
- 4.3 Mass and Weight
- 4.4 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
- 4.5 When Acceleration Is g--Free Fall
- 4.6 When Acceleration Is Less Than g--Nonfree Fall
Chapter 5: Newton's Third Law
- 5.1 Forces and Interactions
- 5.2 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
- 5.3 Action and Reaction on Different Masses
- 5.4 Vectors and the Third Law
- 5.5 Summary of Newton’s Three Laws
Chapter 6: Momentum
- 6.1 Momentum
- 6.2 Impulse
- 6.3 Impulse changes Momentum
- 6.4 Bouncing
- 6.5 Conservation of Momentum
- 6.6 Collisions
- 6.7 More Complicated Collisions
Chapter 7: Energy
- 7.1 Work
- 7.2 Potential Energy
- 7.3 Kinetic Energy
- 7.4 Work-Energy Theorem
- 7.5 Conservation of Energy
- 7.6 Machines
- 7.7 Efficiency
- 7.8 Sources of Energy
Chapter 8: Rotational Motion
- 8.1 Circular Motion
- 8.2 Rotational Inertia
- 8.3 Torque
- 8.4 Center of Mass and Center of Gravity
- 8.5 Centripetal Force
- 8.6 Centrifugal Force
- 8.7 Angular Momentum
- 8.8 Conservation of Angular Momentum
Chapter 9: Gravity
- 9.1 The Universal Law of Gravity
- 9.2 The Universal Gravitational Constant, G
- 9.3 Gravity and Distance: The Inverse-Square Law
- 9.4 Weight and Weightlessness
- 9.5 Ocean Tides
- 9.6 Gravitational Fields
- 9.7 Black Holes
- 9.8 Universal Gravitation
Chapter 10: Projectile and Satellite Motion
- 10.1 Projectile Motion
- 10.2 Fast-Moving Projectiles--Satellites
- 10.3 Circular Satellite Orbits
- 10.4 Elliptical Orbits
- 10.5 Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
- 10.6 Energy Conservation and Satellite Motion
- 10.7 Escape Speed
Chapter 11: The Atomic Nature of Matter
- 11.1 The Atomic Hypothesis
- 11.2 Characteristics of Atoms
- 11.3 Atomic Imagery
- 11.4 Atomic Structure
- 11.5 The Periodic Table of the Elements
- 11.6 Isotopes
- 11.7 Compounds and Mixtures
- 11.8 Molecules
- 11.9 Antimatter
Chapter 12: Solids
- 12.1 Crystal Structure
- 12.2 Density
- 12.3 Elasticity
- 12.4 Tension and Compression
- 12.5 Arches
- 12.6 Scaling
Chapter 13: Liquids
- 13.1 Pressure
- 13.2 Pressure in a Liquid
- 13.3 Buoyancy
- 13.4 Archimedes’ Principle
- 13.5 What Makes an Object Sink or Float?
- 13.6 Flotation
- 13.7 Pascal’s Principle
- 13.8 Surface Tension
- 13.9 Capillarity
Chapter 14: Gases
- 14.1 The Atmosphere
- 14.2 Atmospheric Pressure
- 14.3 Boyle’s Law
- 14.4 Buoyancy of Air
- 14.5 Bernoulli’s Principle
- 14.6 Plasma
Chapter 15: Temp, Heat, and Expansion
- 15.1 Temperature
- 15.2 Heat
- 15.3 Specific Heat Capacity
- 15.4 The High Specific Heat Capacity of Water
- 15.5 Thermal Expansion
Chapter 16: Heat Transfer
- 16.1 Conduction
- 16.2 Convection
- 16.3 Radiation
- 16.4 Newton’s Law of Cooling
- 16.5 The Greenhouse Effect
- 16.6 Climate Change
- 16.7 Solar Power
- 16.8 Controlling Heat Transfer
Chapter 17: Change of Phase
- 17.1 Phases of Matter
- 17.2 Evaporation
- 17.3 Condensation
- 17.4 Boiling
- 17.5 Melting and Freezing
- 17.6 Energy and Changes of Phase
Chapter 18: Thermodynamics
- 18.1 Thermodynamics
- 18.2 Absolute Zero
- 18.3 First Law of Thermodynamics
- 18.4 Adiabatic Processes
- 18.5 Meteorology and the First Law
- 18.6 Second Law of Thermodynamics
- 18.7 Energy Tends to Disperse
- 18.8 Entropy
Chapter 19: Vibrations and Waves
- 19.1 Good Vibrations
- 19.2 Wave Description
- 19.3 Wave Motion
- 19.4 Wave Speed
- 19.5 Wave Interference
- 19.6 Doppler Effect
- 19.7 Bow Waves
- 19.8 Shock Waves
Chapter 20: Sound
- 20.1 Nature of Sound
- 20.2 Sound in Air
- 20.3 Reflection of Sound
- 20.4 Refraction of Sound
- 20.5 Forced Vibrations
- 20.6 Resonance
- 20.7 Interference
- 20.8 Beats
Chapter 21: Musical Sounds
- 21.1 Noise and Music
- 21.2 Pitch
- 21.3 Sound Intensity and Loudness
- 21.4 Quality
- 21.5 Musical Instruments
- 21.6 Fourier Analysis
- 21.7 From Analog to Digital
Chapter 22: Electrostatics
- 22.1 Electricity
- 22.2 Electric Charges
- 22.3 Conservation of Charge
- 22.4 Coulomb's Law
- 22.5 Conductors and Insulators
- 22.6 Charging
- 22.7 Charge Polarization
- 22.8 Electric Field
- 22.9 Electric Potential
Chapter 23: Electric Current
- 23.1 Flow of Charge and Electric Current
- 23.2 Voltage Sources
- 23.3 Electrical Resistance
- 23.4 Ohm’s Law
- 23.5 Direct Current and Alternating Current
- 23.6 Speed and Source of Electrons in a Circuit
- 23.7 Electric Power
- 23.8 Lamps
- 23.9 Electric Circuits
Chapter 24: Magnetism
- 24.1 Magnetism
- 24.2 Magnetic Poles
- 24.3 Magnetic Fields
- 24.4 Magnetic Domains
- 24.5 Electric Currents and Magnetic Fields
- 24.6 Electromagnets
- 24.7 Magnetic Forces
- 24.8 Earth’s Magnetic Field
- 24.9 Biomagnetism
Chapter 25: Electromagnetic Induction
- 25.1 Electromagnetic Induction
- 25.2 Faraday’s Law
- 25.3 Generators and Alternating Current
- 25.4 Power Production
- 25.5 Transformers
- 25.6 Self-Induction
- 25.7 Power Transmission
- 25.8 Field Induction
Chapter 26: Properties of Light
- 26.1 Electromagnetic Waves
- 26.2 Electromagnetic Wave Velocity
- 26.3 The Electromagnetic Spectrum
- 26.4 Transparent Materials
- 26.5 Opaque Materials
- 26.6 Seeing Light - The Eye
Chapter 27: Color
- 27.1 Color in Our World
- 27.2 Selective Reflection
- 27.3 Selective Transmission
- 27.4 Mixing Colored Lights
- 27.5 Mixing Colored Pigments
- 27.6 Why the Sky Is Blue
- 27.7 Why Sunsets Are Red
- 27.8 Why Clouds Are White
- 27.9 Why Water Is Greenish Blue
Chapter 28: Reflection and Refraction
- 28.1 Reflection
- 28.2 Law of Reflection
- 28.3 Refraction
- 28.4 Cause of Refraction
- 28.5 Dispersion and Rainbows
- 28.6 Total Internal Reflection
- 28.7 Lenses
- 28.8 Lens Defects
Chapter 29: Light Waves
- 29.1 Huygens’ Principle
- 29.2 Diffraction
- 29.3 Superposition and Interference
- 29.4 Thin-Film Interference
- 29.5 Polarization
- 29.6 Holography
Chapter 30: Light Emission
- 30.1 Light Emission
- 30.2 Excitation
- 30.3 Emission Spectra
- 30.4 Incandescence
- 30.5 Absorption Spectra
- 30.6 Fluorescence
- 30.7 Phosphorescence
- 30.8 Lamps
- 30.9 Lasers
Chapter 31: Light Quanta
- 31.1 Birth of the Quantum Theory
- 31.2 Quantization and Planck’s Constant
- 31.3 Photoelectric Effect
- 31.4 Wave–Particle Duality
- 31.5 Double-Slit Experiment
- 31.6 Particles as Waves: Electron Diffraction
- 31.7 Uncertainty Principle
- 31.8 Complementarity
Chapter 32: The Atom and the Quantum
- 32.1 Discovery of the Atomic Nucleus
- 32.2 Discovery of the Electron
- 32.3 Atomic Spectra: Clues to Atomic Structure
- 32.4 Bohr Model of the Atom
- 32.5 Explanation of Quantized Energy Levels: Electron Waves
- 32.6 Quantum Mechanics
- 32.7 Correspondence Principle
Chapter 33: The Atomic Nucleus
- 33.1 X-Rays and Radioactivity
- 33.2 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Rays
- 33.3 Environmental Radiation
- 33.4 The Atomic Nucleus and the Strong Force
- 33.5 Radioactive Half-Life
- 33.6 Radiation Detectors
- 33.7 Transmutation of Elements
- 33.8 Radiometric Dating
Chapter 34: Nuclear Fission and Fusion
- 34.1 Nuclear Fission
- 34.2 Nuclear Fission Reactors
- 34.3 The Breeder Reactor
- 34.4 Fission Power
- 34.5 Mass–Energy Equivalence
- 34.6 Nuclear Fusion
- 34.7 Controlling Fusion
Chapter 35: Special Theory of Relativity
- 35.1 Motion Is Relative
- 35.2 Postulates of the Special Theory of Relativity
- 35.3 Simultaneity
- 35.4 Spacetime and Time Dilation
- 35.5 Addition of Velocities
- 35.6 Length Contraction
- 35.7 Relativistic Momentum
- 35.8 Mass, Energy, and E = mc(2)
- 35.9 The Correspondence Principle
Chapter 36: General Theory of Relativity
- 36.1 Principle of Equivalence
- 36.2 Bending of Light by Gravity
- 36.3 Gravity and Time: Gravitational Red Shift
- 36.4 Gravity and Space: Motion of Mercury
- 36.5 Gravity, Space, and a New Geometry
- 36.6 Gravitational Waves
- 36.7 Newtonian and Einsteinian Gravitation
- Physics Review