| A | B |
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| energy | A fundamental building block of the universe; it appears in different forms (ie position, motion, or heat) and can travel in different ways (ie light, sound, or electricity. The ability of an object or phenomenon to cause change in its environment. |
| nuclear energy | The form of energy that comes from splitting the nucleus of an atom, or fusing two nuclei of an atom. |
| radiant energy | Another term for electromagnetic energy; for example, light. |
| electrical energy | Another term for electricity. |
| chemical energy | A type of energy stored in molecules. |
| thermal energy | Energy that comes from heat and from the vibration of atoms and molecules. |
| mechanical energy | Sum of kinetic energy and potential energy. |
| potential energy | Stored energy that comes from position. |
| kinetic energy | Energy that comes from motion. |
| Law of Conservation of Energy | Energy remains constant even when changing forms. It is neither destroyed nor created, just transformed. |
| transformation | Process in which energy changes forms. |
| heat | A flow of thermal energy from one object to another object due to a temperature difference. |
| First Law of Thermodynamics | States that thermal energy in a closed system is conserved. |
| calorimeter | Instrument used to measure heat. |
| immersion heater | Another name for calorimeter. |
| joule | The standard unit for measuring energy; the quantity of heat it takes to increase the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 degree Kelvin. |
| calorie | The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1 degree Celcius. |
| British thermal unit | The quantity of heat it takes to increase the temperature of one pound of water by 1 degree F. One Btu is equal to 1,055 joules or 252 calories. |
| specific heat | How well a substance absorbs thermal energy. |
| Law of Dulong and Petit | Every substance has a different specific heat value because the number of atoms in a gram of material (density) is different.. |
| conduction | The transfer of thermal energy by the direct contact of particles of matter. |
| thermal conductivity | The ability of material to transfer heat. |
| conductor | A material that easily conducts heat. |
| insulator | Materials that are poor conductors of heat. |
| convection | The transfer of thermal energy in a circular pattern; occurs when a hot fluid rises upward due to a decrease in density, and then expands, giving off heat. |
| radiation | The transfer of thermal energy through the process of emitting radiant energy. |
| absorbers | Objects that have the ability to absorb radiant energy. |
| reflectors | Objects that reflect radiant energy. |
| thermal pollution | Occurs when waste heat changes the temperature of its environment in a negative way. |
| cooling pond | Used to dissipate waste heat in a fluid directly to the air before releasing back to the source. |
