PhysicsYears 12–13Thermal Physics
Thermal physics
Understand thermal energy transfer, ideal gas laws, molecular kinetic theory and specific heat capacity
What you'll learn
- 1
Imagine holding a cup of hot tea ☕. The heat from the tea moves into your hand — that's thermal energy flowing!
- 2
Which way does heat flow?
- 3
Drag the slider to show how hot your tea is — 60°C is a good drinking temperature!
- 4
Let's find out how much heat energy is needed to warm up a cup of water.
- 5
Now you try! Calculate the energy needed to heat 0.5 kg of water by 20°C.
- 6
What is the specific heat capacity of water?
- 7
If you double the mass of water, what happens to the energy needed?
Practise Thermal physics with Whizlo
Free AI-tutored lessons, unlimited practice questions, and progress tracking for ages 16–18. Aligned to the UK National Curriculum.