Heat and Temperature
4 Minutes
Heat and temperature for kids: learn how vibrating atoms define temperature and how energy transfers as heat to cook dosa. A science lesson in English.
- How vibrating atoms and molecules make an object get hot
- How vibration speed means temperature and total energy means heat
- Why a stove flame cooks dosa better than a candle flame
What this lesson teaches
Temperature is the speed at which the atoms and molecules in an object vibrate, whereas heat is the amount of energy available to make atoms and molecules in another substance vibrate. When tiny particles vibrate faster and transfer their motion to surrounding particles, an object gets hot.
How objects get heated
All things around us are made of tiny particles called atoms and molecules, which constantly vibrate in place. When an object is placed in a flame, these particles begin to vibrate even more. If the atoms and molecules vibrate at a lower speed, the object has a lower temperature, such as fifty degrees Celsius. If they vibrate at a higher speed, the object has a higher temperature, such as one hundred degrees Celsius.
How heat energy transfers
- When an object at a higher temperature touches another object, its vibrating particles hit the other object's particles.
- These collisions make the atoms and molecules in the second object vibrate as well, causing it to become hot.
- For example, a hot dosa tawa vibrates and passes its motion to the atoms and molecules in the poured batter.
- The number of particles that are made to vibrate by this transferred energy is what determines the amount of heat.
The difference between heat and temperature
Temperature depends purely on the vibration speed of the atoms and molecules, while heat depends on how much total energy they carry to make other particles vibrate. A substance has more heat if its particles can cause a larger number of atoms and molecules to move. If fewer particles are made to vibrate, the substance provides less heat, even if the temperature is high.
The stove flame and candle flame example
- A candle flame and a stove flame can both reach the exact same temperature of one thousand degrees Celsius.
- Because both flames are at one thousand degrees Celsius, their atoms and molecules vibrate at the identical speed.
- A candle flame has very few vibrating particles, so it lacks enough energy to make all the particles in a dosa tawa vibrate.
- A stove flame has many more vibrating particles, supplying enough heat energy to make the tawa and batter vibrate so the dosa cooks properly.