Heat Energy and Climate Change Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Heat Energy and Climate Change - Term Paper Example Heat energy emerges from behavior of atoms in a body and it can be quantified through temperature scale. Cheshire explains that atomic motion results in heat energy and possessed energy defines temperature (13). In addition, heat energy spread in an environment based on temperature gradient and moves from regions with high temperatures to regions with low temperatures, a definition that is consistent with Sang’s classification of heat as an energy transfer (81). Mechanism of heat also identifies and relates to the principles of motion and conservation of energy. Based on energy conservation law, energy cannot be â€Å"created or destroyed† but may be converted to other forms (Chesire 25). Newton’s first law of motion however explains that a body maintains its velocity unless an external force acts on it while Newton’s second law explains that force (and by extension, energy) is proportional to kinetic energy (Giordano 40, 41). Consequently, atoms in a body will continue to move at a constant aggregate force and retain the body’s heat energy unless an external force converts energy in the body, positively or negatively. Example of a change is converted energy into a body that would increase velocity of atoms to increase heat energy in the body. Laws of thermodynamics explain the relationship between heat energy and mechanical energy. From the second law of thermodynamics, mechanical energy can be converted to heat energy while the third law of thermodynamics explains that heat energy can be converted to mechanical energy (Giordano 535). Mechanical work can therefore yield heat energy and heat energy can be converted into mechanical energy for doing mechanical work. Direct heat transfer from a body or into a body occurs through conduction, convection, or radiation. Conduction is the heat transfer through movement of atoms from hot to cold regions and is common in metals in their atomic states and in ionic compounds. Convection is another