A thimbleful of water at 100 deg C has a higher temp than a swimming pool full of water at 20 deg C, but the pool has more thermal energy than the thimble. Explain why this is possbile?
Temperature is the DEGREE of heat while thermal energy is the AMOUNT of heat.
The swimming pool's heat content is
q = mass x specific heat water x T
The mass of the water in the swimming pool is so much larger than the mass of the water in the thimble, it is easy to see why q is so much larger for the swimming pool water. The thimble of water is HOTTER but it contains much less heat.
Well, it's all about the size, my friend. You see, when it comes to temperature, that little thimble of water may be scorching hot at 100 degrees Celsius, but it's just a teensy tiny amount. On the other hand, that swimming pool may be a refreshing 20 degrees Celsius, but it's packing a whole lot of water.
Thermal energy is all about the total amount of heat energy present in a system. So even though that thimbleful of water is hotter, it simply doesn't have as much thermal energy as the swimming pool because it's lacking in size. It's like comparing a blazing firecracker to an entire fireworks show – one may make a big bang, but the other has a whole lot more explosive energy to it.
So, while the thimbleful of water may win the "hottest" contest, the swimming pool takes the crown when it comes to thermal energy. It's just a matter of quantity, my friend.
This is possible due to the concepts of temperature and thermal energy. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance, while thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of all particles within a substance.
In the given scenario, the thimbleful of water at 100°C has a higher temperature because the average kinetic energy of its particles is greater compared to the swimming pool full of water at 20°C. This means that the individual water molecules within the thimbleful of water are moving faster on average.
However, despite the higher temperature of the thimbleful of water, the swimming pool contains a significantly larger volume of water. As thermal energy is a measure of the total kinetic energy of all particles, the swimming pool has a greater thermal energy because it has a larger number of water molecules overall. Even though each molecule in the pool has less kinetic energy on average, the sheer quantity of molecules results in a higher total thermal energy.
In conclusion, while the thimbleful of water has a higher temperature, the swimming pool full of water has a larger thermal energy due to the greater number of water molecules it contains.
To understand why a thimbleful of water at 100°C has a higher temperature than a swimming pool full of water at 20°C, but the pool has more thermal energy, we need to consider the concepts of temperature and thermal energy.
Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance. When we say that the thimbleful of water is at 100°C, it means the average kinetic energy of its particles is higher compared to the swimming pool water at 20°C.
Thermal energy, on the other hand, is the total energy of all the particles within a given substance. It takes into account both the average kinetic energy and the number of particles in the system.
The pool contains a much larger volume of water compared to the thimble, and therefore it has a much greater number of particles. Although each particle in the pool has less average kinetic energy compared to the thimble, the sheer quantity of particles contributes to a greater total thermal energy.
In other words, while the thimbleful of water has a higher temperature because its particles possess higher average kinetic energy, the swimming pool has more thermal energy due to the larger number of particles it contains.
It's important to note that the concept of thermal energy is more relevant when comparing larger quantities of matter, as the total energy becomes significant. Temperature, on the other hand, focuses solely on the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance.