How do the thermal energies of a 20 kg rock and a 200 kg rock compare if they are at the same temperature?
If the two rocks are of the same material, their thermal energy is proportional to their mass if at the same temperature.
Think, you could boil more water with a bigger hot rock ;)
The thermal energies of two objects can be compared using the formula:
Thermal Energy = mass * specific heat capacity * temperature
Assuming the specific heat capacity (C) remains constant, we can compare the thermal energies of the two rocks using the equation:
Thermal Energy1 = mass1 * specific heat capacity * temperature
Thermal Energy2 = mass2 * specific heat capacity * temperature
Given:
mass1 = 20 kg
mass2 = 200 kg
temperature1 = temperature2 (since the rocks are at the same temperature)
Comparing the thermal energies:
Thermal Energy1 = 20 kg * specific heat capacity * temperature
Thermal Energy2 = 200 kg * specific heat capacity * temperature
As the mass of the second rock is ten times greater than the mass of the first rock, the thermal energy of the second rock will also be ten times greater at the same temperature.
To compare the thermal energies of the 20 kg rock and the 200 kg rock at the same temperature, we need to understand that thermal energy depends on both the mass and the temperature of an object.
The thermal energy of an object can be calculated using the formula:
Thermal Energy = Mass × Specific Heat Capacity × Temperature
However, in this case, we want to compare the thermal energies of the two rocks assuming they are at the same temperature. Since the temperature is the same, we can simplify the comparison by disregarding it from the equation.
Thus, the thermal energy of an object can be compared by looking at the mass alone:
The thermal energy is directly proportional to the mass of an object. In other words, the greater the mass, the greater the thermal energy.
Therefore, since the 200 kg rock has a greater mass compared to the 20 kg rock, we can conclude that the thermal energy of the 200 kg rock will be higher than that of the 20 kg rock when they are at the same temperature.