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Heat

Heat almost any solid and it will eventually melt into a liquid. Even solid rocks melt or become molten at above about 800–1000°C (1500–1800°F). The liquid rock that oozes or spurts from volcanoes is called lava. The temperature and pressure inside some volcanoes are so great that some types of rock not only melt, they boil and bubble as they give off gases trapped inside them.Lava is hot, melted rock from inside the Earth.Heat almost any solid and it will eventually melt into a liquid. Even solid rocks melt or become molten at above about 800–1000°C (1500–1800°F). The liquid rock that oozes or spurts from volcanoes is called lava. The temperature and pressure inside some volcanoes are so great that some types of rock not only melt, they boil and bubble as they give off gases trapped inside them. Heat is a type of energy—the vibrations of atoms and molecules. The more an atom moves or vibrates, the more heat or thermal energy it has. In a solid, the atoms have fixed central positions but each atom vibrates slightly about its central position, like a ball tied to a nail by elastic. Heat the solid and the atoms vibrate more. When they have enough vibrations, the atoms break from their fixed positions (the “elastic” snaps), and they move about at random. The solid has melted into a liquid. Heat it more and the atoms fly further apart. The liquid becomes a gas.

An image of Earth's Pacific Ocean, showing levels of heat being radiated out to space (infrared radiation). The highest levels (orange and red) are given off by the waters of the ocean. The lowest (blue and white) are where the ocean is obscured by dense cloud cover.The Earth, showing the amount of heat radiatedAn image of Earth's Pacific Ocean, showing levels of heat being radiated out to space (infrared radiation). The highest levels (orange and red) are given off by the waters of the ocean. The lowest (blue and white) are where the ocean is obscured by dense cloud cover.

Using heat

Heat is a vital part of our lives. We need to keep our bodies comfortably warm with clothing, especially in cold conditions. If body temperature falls from its normal 37°C to below about 30°C (98.6–86°F), fatal hypothermia may set in. We cook our food with heat. Countless machines and industrial processes use heat, from making pottery to a steelworks or power station. Heat is also given off as a waste form of energy by many processes. In a power station most of the heat is used to generate electricity, but some is released as clouds of steam from cooling towers.

Temperature

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Energy

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Heat

Using heat

Temperature

Flying at Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound), a super-fast jet aircraft's surface may reach temperatures of 300°C (nearly 600°F). The aircraft grows nearly 80 cm (30 inches) longer.