What is sensible heat?

What is sensible heat?

• A. Heat added to a substance that changes the state of that substance
• B. Heat removed from a substance
• C. Heat added to a substance that changes the temperature of that substance
• D. Heat added that changes color

Answer: (C)

Sensible heat is the heat that causes a change in temperature of a substance. When you add heat and the substance warms up (or remove heat and it cools), you're dealing with sensible heat. The amount of this heat is described by q = m c ΔT, where m is mass, c is the substance’s specific heat, and ΔT is the temperature change. This differs from latent heat, which is the energy involved in changing the substance’s phase (like melting or boiling) at a constant temperature. So, heating that changes temperature fits the idea of sensible heat, while heat added to change state does not—it involves latent heat. For example, warming water from 20°C to 80°C is sensible heat. The other options describe cooling, phase changes, or unrelated effects like color change, which aren’t the definition of sensible heat.

Sensible heat is the heat that causes a change in temperature of a substance. When you add heat and the substance warms up (or remove heat and it cools), you're dealing with sensible heat. The amount of this heat is described by q = m c ΔT, where m is mass, c is the substance’s specific heat, and ΔT is the temperature change.

This differs from latent heat, which is the energy involved in changing the substance’s phase (like melting or boiling) at a constant temperature. So, heating that changes temperature fits the idea of sensible heat, while heat added to change state does not—it involves latent heat. For example, warming water from 20°C to 80°C is sensible heat. The other options describe cooling, phase changes, or unrelated effects like color change, which aren’t the definition of sensible heat.