Changes in

State and
Energy
Chapter 2 Section 2

Energy
How does the ice go from being a
solid back to being a liquid?
Energy is the ability to do work
Energy of motion is called kinetic
energy

Energy
The molecules and
particles in matter are in
constant motion
Particles with more
kinetic energy move
faster and further apart.

Potential Energy
Particles also
have potential
energy.
The higher up a
molecule or
atom is the

Potential Energy

An object can
have potential
energy
depending on it
position.

Potential Energy

A rock at the top of a

cliff has potential
energy
As it falls its kinetic
energy rises and its
potential energy

Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
It can change from one form into
another.

Thermodynamics and
Conservation of Energy
Thermodynamics is a branch of physics
that describes temperatures and their
relation to energy.
It also teaches us about macroscopic
variables such as pressure internal
energy and entropy.

The Law of Conservation of

Energy
There is an increasing amount of
chaotic energy in the universe, this is
known as entropy.
The law of conservation of energy tells
us that energy cannot be created or
destroyed but it can change from one
form into another.

Thermal Energy
The total kinetic and potential energy of
all the particles in a sample of matter is
called thermal energy.
If the number of particles or the energy
within those particles changes then the
thermal energy of a substance will
change.

Thermal Energy
If I add ice cubes to a beaker of boiling
water does the thermal energy change?
If so, how? Does it increase
or decrease?

Temperature
Not all particles in a substance have the same
energy
The average energy of all the particles is the
temperature.
Temperature is different to thermal energy as
thermal energy is a total and temperature is an
average.

Measuring Temperature
Thermometers are
used to measure
the average
thermal energy
(temperature) of
an object.

Lord Kelvin (1824 to 1907)

The S.I. unit for
temperature is
actually the Kelvin
but we also
commonly use
degrees Celsius.
Kelvin is used as it

Absolute Zero
At the physically
impossible-to-reach
temperature of zero
kelvin, or minus
273.15 degrees
Celsius, atoms would
stop moving.
As such, nothing can
be colder than

Enthalpy

Enthalpy is the
thermodynamic state
function of a substance.
In other words enthalpy is
how much thermal energy a

Which has more thermal

energy?

The average kinetic energy of

the particles in the iced tea is
less than the average kinetic
energy of the particles in the

Particles in the ice have the

lowest average thermal
energy (temperature). The
particles move very little and
only vibrate in place.

Heat
Can you
describe the
The room temperature water
molecular
has
more thermal energy, the
particles move around more
than
particles in the ice, but
movement
still fairly slowly.
The
boiling
water has the
and
the
most thermal energy. The
particles move round very
temperature
fast
and some contain so

Movement of Heat
We often confuse heat and temperature.
Heat is a type of energy and temperature
is a measurement of average energy.
When a warm object is brought near a
cooler object, thermal energy will be
transferred from the warmer object to the
cooler one.

Movement of Heat
When ice melts in water it is actually
taking on the waters energy and cooling
that down rather than being melted by
the water.
Thermal energy moves from a
substance with a higher temperature to

Heat

Inphysics,heatis energy
that is in a process of
transfer between a system
and its surroundings.

Heat moves from high to low

until equilibrium is reached.

Conduction
When two substances are in direct
contact with each other, heat is
transferred via conduction.

Convection
The movement of heat in a fluid or a gas is known
as convection. Warm air or warm water rises by
convection due to its lower density.

Radiation
Radiation does not rely on direct contact between
substances. For example infrared radiation in the
vacuum
of space.

Equilibrium
Eventually a substance will come into
balance with its surroundings.

This is known as equilibrium.

Equilibrium is a state of physical
balance.

Conductors/Insulators
If a substance easily allows heat to move
through it, we can say it is a good
conductor of heat. e.g: most metals.
If a substance does not allow heat to pass
through it easily we can say it is an
Insulator. E.g: wood, plastic, glass.

Conduction V Insulation

Emission experiment
Four containers were filled with warm water. Which
container would have the warmest water after ten
minutes?
Dull metal

Shiny metal

Shiny black

Dull black

shiny metal container would be the warmest after ten minutes because its
The __________
shiny surface reflects heat _______
radiation back into the container so less is lost. The
________
dull black container would be the coolest because it is the best at _______
absorbingheat
radiation.

Absorption experiment
Four containers were placed equidistant from a heater. Which
container would have the warmest water after ten minutes?
Dull metal

Shiny metal

Shiny black

Dull black

The __________
dull black container would be the warmest after ten minutes because
metal container would be
its surface absorbs heat radiation
_______ the best. The shiny
_________
absorbing heat radiation.
the coolest because it is the poorest at __________

Specific Heat
Water has many unique properties
One of these is the amount of energy it
takes to raise its temperature compared to
most other substances.
The specific heat of a substance is the
amount of energy it takes to raise one gram
of a substance by 1oC

Specific Heat
Substances with a low
specific heat (e.g. most
metals and things like sand)
heat up and cool down
quickly.

Substances with a high

specific heat (e.g. water)
heats up and cools down
more slowly as a much
larger quantity of energy is

Changes Between Solid and

Liquid State
Matter can change from one state to another when
thermal energy is absorbed or released
As ice is heated it absorbs thermal energy and its
temperature rises.
Above the melting point (0oC) the ice melts and changes
from a solid state to a liquid state.

Amorphous Solids
Amorphous solids such as
rubber and glass dont melt in
the same way as crystalline
solids.
They dont have crystal
structures to get broken
down. Amorphous solids get
softer as they are heated.

Freezing
The process of melting a crystalline
solid can be reversed if the liquid is
cooled.
This is called freezing.
As liquid cools it loses thermal energy
its particles slow down and come close
together.
Attractive forces trap particles and a
solid begins to form.
The point where a substance changes
from a liquid to a solid is called the
freezing point.

Melting/Freezing
Water freezes and melts at
0oC
At this point the
temperature will plateau and
will not rise until the phase
change is complete.

Changes Between Liquid and

Gas States
Matter changes between liquid and gas states through
vaporization and condensation.
Vaporization as a water is heated its temperature rises
until it reaches 100oC. During this temperature rise water
changes phase into water vapor. This is known as
vaporization. There are two parts;

Evaporati
on

Boiling

Evaporation vs Vaporation

Vaporization: Evaporation and

Boiling

Evaporation and boiling are NOT

the same thing!

Evaporation occurs when

molecules on the surface of a
liquid change phase and become a
gas.
We can see the resulting water
vapor. This is known as
evaporation.

Vaporization: Evaporation and

Boiling
As this water vapor pushes
the air out the way the
pressure pushing down on
the liquid is reduced.
This allows the bubbles that
we see to form. These bubbles
contain a lot of thermal energy.

Vaporization: Evaporation and

Boiling

As the bubbles rise up to the surface thermal

energy is released. This is known as boiling.

Location of Molecules
For evaporation to occur faster molecules must be near
the surface, and they must also be heading in the right
direction.
These molecules must avoid hitting any other molecules
as they leave.
As the fastest molecules have left the substance it will
cool the liquid and anything near it.
This is why we sweat in order to cool ourselves off.

ppens to the temperature of water when evaporation

Condensation
As a gas cools its particles slow down
As particles slow down enough for their attractions to bring
them together, droplets of liquid form.
This is the opposite of vaporization and is called condensation.
As a gas condenses to a liquid it releases thermal energy. The
decrease in energy changes the arrangement of particles.
After the change of state is complete the temperature
continues to drop.

Condensation

Changes Between Solid and Gas

States
Some substances can change from a solid directly into a gas
without ever being a liquid.
This process is known as sublimation.
Dry ice (solid CO2) is an example of this
Carbon dioxide does not exist as a liquid so as it absorbs
thermal energy from water vapor in the air it changes
directly into a gas. As the water vapor cools and condenses
into liquid a fog forms.

The law of Conservation of

Matter
The law of conservation of matter states
that matter cannot be created or
destroyed.
It can however change from one form
into another.
This is like the law of conservation of
energy which states that energy cannot

Knowledge and Understanding

Recognize that heat is a form of energy and that
temperature change results from adding or taking away
heat from a system.
Explain the effect of heat on particle motion through a
description of what happens to particles during a
change in phase.
Give examples of how heat moves in predictable ways,
moving from warmer objects to cooler objects until they
reach equilibrium.

MCAS Questions