Thermal energy transfers always give off some form of electromagnetic radiation AKA light.
Light and other electromagnetic waves can transmit heat
Electromagnetic Waves
Electric fields and magnetic fields influence one another. Electric waves travel perpendicularly to magnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves can travel in all phases of matter and in a vacuum.
Light is made up of Photons: Discreet packets of energy that have momentum but not mass and move at the speed of light.
Wave/Particle Duality: Electromagnetic waves move both as photon particles and as waves. Some experiments will display the wave acting as a beam of light, others will show it acting as a wave.
Electromagnetic Spectrum: The range of electromagnetic frequencies. It spans low frequency radio waves (measured in Hz), through mid-range light and infared waves (measured in meters), up to high frequency x-rays and gamma rays (measured in volts).
Some things contain both Potential and Kinetic energy at the same time, a burning log has both stored energy and energy in action producing light and heat.
Mechanical Waves
Transverse: Waves whose direction of travel is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. For example ocean waves cause ocean water to oscillate vertically while the energy of the wave moves horizontally.
Longditudinal: Waves whose direction of travel is the same as the direction of energy transfer. Also known as compression waves, a common example is sound waves.
Attributes
Frequency: the number of wave crests that pass a given point in one second. Measured in Hertz
Wavelength: the distance between crests. Measured in meters.
Reflection: Waves can bounce directly off a smooth surface. For example light waves bouncing almost completely off the smooth surface of a mirror
Scatter: Waves can bounce off an object in a variety of directions. Shorter wavelengths of light in the Earth's atmosphere (blue and violet) is scattered by particles in the air while longer wavelengths (red and yellow) more easily reach the surface. This is why the sky appears blue.
Diffraction: Waves bend around objects or squeeze through small gaps in a barrier. Sound waves in a room will bend around a central pole, and will pass through the opening created by a window.
Refraction: Waves change speed when passing from one medium to another. The waves will bend in a ratio specific to the medium, known as the refractive index. Light waves from the sun, penetrate the water and reflect off the scales of a fish. Refraction causes the light waves to bend from their original angle of impact making the fish appear in a slightly different location than it physically is.
Absorbtion: Electromagnetic photons strike molecules and cause them to vibrate, emitting heat.
What is Energy?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Energy is the ability of a physical system to do work on another physical system.
Mass is a property of all energy, and energy is a property of all mass, and the two properties are connected by a constant (c). E = mc2
Forms Of Energy
Potential Energy: Potential energy is stored energy. Energy that is waiting to be used. A rock at the top of a slope has potential energy.
Chemical
Gravitational
Stored Mechanical
Nuclear
Kinetic Energy: Potential energy is transferred to Kinetic energy as soon as it begins its action. The rock rolling downhill is using Kinetic energy.
Radiant
Thermal
Motion
Sound
Electrical
Transfer of Energy
Thermally- heat moves from warmer to colder environments
Mechanically- when two objects push or pull on each other over a distance,
Electrically- when a flow of electric charge, carried by electrons or ions in a conductive material, completes a circuit .