UNIT 5.

HEAT AND

LIGHT

They are forms of energy.

Temperature: it tells us how hot an object is

Heat: is the amount of thermal energy that an object has.
Thermal energy makes an object: expand , move, change of state,

Light: is a form of energy that travels through air and space in waves.
The natural source of light is the Sun but there are many artificial light sources ( light bulbs, computer screens)
Light enables to us to see the things around us.

HOW DOES THERMAL ENERGY TRAVEL THROUGH OBJECTS?

It travels from a hot object to a cold object
Conduction: when 2 objects are in contact, thermal energy passes from one object to the other.
The molecules in the hotter object moves faster ( it has more energy) and this energy passes to the colder object. As a result, the temperature of
the colder object increases and the hotter object gets colder.

Convection: thermal energy travels through a gas or a liquid.

Its the transfer of energy into and out of an object by the movement of fluid.

Radiation: its the process by what thermal energy pass through space by electromagnetic waves

Conductors

and

Insulators

They transfer thermal energy easily

they dont transfer thermal energy easily

Metal

wood

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THERMAL ENERGY?

CHANGES IN THE STATE:

Melting

Evaporation

Expansion

Solid changes into a liquid

liquid changes into gas

the molecules in a solid, liquid or gas vibrate and the material expands.
It can explode

Chemical changes
Ex. To cook food

LIGHT

WHATS LIGHT AND HOW DO WE USE IT?

Its radiation that we can see with our eyes.
Its made up of microscopic particles that travel in waves.

Light phenomena

Objects react to light in different ways:

Transparent

Opaque

It doesnt block light

it blocks the light completely

Translucent

they block some light

It forms a shadow.

The object blocks the light and the waves of light that arent blocked travel in straight lines.

The shadow has the same shape that the object

Uses of light energy

To see and produce electrical energy with solar panel

to see at night

to see things on TV and computer screens

To indicate when a machine is switched on

THE BASIC LAWS OF LIGHT

REFLECTION
It occurs when light energy bounces off a surface (a mirror) and changes direction

REFRACTION
When light passes through some transparent substances (water), the light energy changes direction slightly.

WHITE LIGHT
Its made up of all the colours combined together.

White light can divide into colours by refraction. Prisms refract light.

HOW IS LIGHT TRANSFORMED INTO HEAT?

When an object absorbs light energy the molecules vibrate faster. Then, the energy transforms into heat.

Dark colours absorb more light energy and they transform it into heat.

Light colours dont absorb much light energy. They reflect light energy