In physics, energy is usually described as the ability of a system to perform work. However, this definition is often challenged because of the many different forms energy can hold. There have been definitions derived which are more suitable to certain contexts. Thermal energy is a more specific energy explored in this investigation process. Thermal energy is one of the types of energy which can be defined by ‘the ability to perform work’. It is the sum of the kinetic and potential energy possessed by an object due to the movement of particles within the object or the system (Simmons, 2014). The thermal energy contained within an object increases as it is heated, this also causes the temperature to increase.
The average amount of thermal energy contained by molecules in a substance is known as the temperature of the substance. Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy a substance or object contains. It is directly related to the velocity of the molecules in the substance. There are three ways to measure temperature: Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit; however kelvin and Celsius are most commonly used (Kurtus, 2014).
The …show more content…
This is the consequence of a decrease in the specific heat capacity of the solution compared to pure water. The specific heat capacity drops because the specific heat is lower for salt. Hence, when water is mixed with salt the specific heat value drops. In other words, it takes less energy to raise the temperature of the salt water by 1K than pure water. This means that the salt water heats up faster and eventually gets to its boiling point first. The heat capacity of NaCl has been found to be higher than that of MgCl2 but both lower than water’s specific heat capacity (Ernest, 2015).
The heat capacity of the solution can be simply estimated using the formula (Haslego, 2010):
C_solution = W_1*C_solid + W_2*
The average amount of thermal energy contained by molecules in a substance is known as the temperature of the substance. Temperature is the measurement of the average kinetic energy a substance or object contains. It is directly related to the velocity of the molecules in the substance. There are three ways to measure temperature: Kelvin, Celsius and Fahrenheit; however kelvin and Celsius are most commonly used (Kurtus, 2014).
The …show more content…
This is the consequence of a decrease in the specific heat capacity of the solution compared to pure water. The specific heat capacity drops because the specific heat is lower for salt. Hence, when water is mixed with salt the specific heat value drops. In other words, it takes less energy to raise the temperature of the salt water by 1K than pure water. This means that the salt water heats up faster and eventually gets to its boiling point first. The heat capacity of NaCl has been found to be higher than that of MgCl2 but both lower than water’s specific heat capacity (Ernest, 2015).
The heat capacity of the solution can be simply estimated using the formula (Haslego, 2010):
C_solution = W_1*C_solid + W_2*