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Questions for Thought
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What is temperature? What is heat?

Explain why most materials become less dense as their temperature is increased.

Would the tight packing of more insulation, such as glass wool, in an enclosed space increase or decrease the insulation value? Explain.

A true vacuum bottle has a double-walled, silvered bottle with the air removed from the space between the walls. Describe how this design keeps food hot or cold by dealing with conduction, convection, and radiation.

Why is cooler air found in low valleys on calm nights?

Why is air a good insulator?

Explain the meaning of the mechanical equivalent of heat.

What do people really mean when they say that a certain food "has a lot of Calories"?

A piece of metal feels cooler than a piece of wood at the same temperature. Explain why.

Explain how the latent heat of fusion and the latent heat of vaporization are "hidden."

What is condensation? Explain, on a molecular level, how the condensation of water vapor on a bathroom mirror warms the bathroom.

Which provides more cooling for a Styrofoam cooler, one with 10 lb of ice at 0°C or one with 10 lb of ice water at 0°C? Explain your reasoning.

Explain why a glass filled with a cold beverage seems to "sweat." Would you expect more sweating inside a house during the summer or during the winter? Explain.

Explain why a burn from 100°C steam is more severe than a burn from water at 100°C.

Briefly describe, using sketches as needed, how a heat pump is able to move heat from a cooler region to a warmer region.

Which has more entropy—ice, liquid water, or water vapor? Explain your reasoning.

Suppose you use a heat engine to do the work to drive a heat pump. Could the heat pump be used to provide the temperature difference to run the heat engine? Explain.

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