Energy: Thermal Energy, Heat, and Temperature
Thu, May 15, 2008 1:07 AM
Cute, oversimplified, has some small error.
The animations successfully illustrate the general concept. The simulation that demonstrates molecular motion is not technically correct; all molecules have the same speed, which is not true, as stated in this module. I would suggest the construction of a more realistic model, perhaps an implementation of a Leonnard-Jones potential to model particle interactions.
It is stated that heat always transfers from an object at a high temperature to an object at a lower temperature. This is not always true. According to the statistical mechanics the micro-canonical ensemble, a heat transfer from a low temperature reservoir to a high temperature reservoir is possible, but not very probable.
Maybe the creator of this module should “Stop Faking It” a take some refresher courses in the non-equilibrium statistical mechanics to correct his or her misunderstandings.