Worlds of David Darling > Children's
Encyclopedia of Science > Between Fire and Ice > Glossary
BETWEEN FIRE AND ICE:
The Science of Heat
a book in the eXperiment! series by David Darling
Glossary
alcohol
A clear liquid, with a low freezing point, that is commonly used in both
indoor and outdoor thermometers. It is often stained red to make it easily
visible.
bimetallic strip
Two different metals joined together to form a long, thin strip. When heated,
one of the metals expands more than the other and so causes the strip to
bend. This can be used as a means to control the heating and cooling of
various devices.
Celsius
One of the two main scales of temperature in common use. On the Celsius
scale, the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point is 100°.
change of state
This happens when a substance goes from one of its three possible states
– solid, liquid, or gas – to another.
condensation
The process of changing from a gas to a liquid.
conduction
One of the three ways by which heat can travel from one place to another.
It involves the transfer of heat energy from one molecule to the next molecule.
conductor
A substance or object that lets heat pass easily through it.
convection
One of the three ways by which heat can travel from one place to another.
It involves the movement of parts of a gas or liquid as they become heated
up and cooled down again.
energy
The ability to do work or cause movement.
evaporation
The process of changing from a liquid to a gas at temperatures below the
boiling point of the liquid.
Fahrenheit
One of the two main scales of temperature in common use. On the Fahrenheit
scale, the freezing point of water is 32° and the boiling point of water
is 212°.
Freon
A substance used in refrigerators that changes easily from liquid to gas
and back again.
infrared
Heat radiation.
insulator
A substance or object that does not let heat pass easily through it.
mercury
The only metal that is a liquid at normal room temperature. Used commonly
in thermometers, it has the advantage that it will not stick to glass.
molecule
The smallest part of a substance that can exist and still have the properties
of that substance.
oral thermometer
A kind of mercury thermometer used to take the temperature of the human
body. Its scale covers only the range of temperatures found in human beings.
radiation
One of the three ways by which heat can travel from one place to another.
It involves the movement of heat by electromagnetic radiation.
steam
Tiny droplets of water that form when water vapor condenses.
thermometer
A device used for measuring temperature.
water vapor
The gas that water turns into. Compare this with steam.
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