Thermodynamics Word Search

ADIABATIC – A thermodynamic process where no heat is exchanged between a system and its surroundings, meaning all energy changes occur through work alone, maintaining thermal isolation.

BOYLE – Robert Boyle, scientist who discovered that gas pressure and volume are inversely proportional at constant temperature, forming the foundation of gas law relationships in thermodynamics.

CALORIE – A unit of heat energy defined as the amount needed to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius, commonly used in measuring thermal energy.

CARNOT – Sadi Carnot, physicist who developed the theoretical Carnot cycle, establishing maximum efficiency limits for heat engines operating between two temperature reservoirs, fundamental to thermodynamic theory.

CONDENSER – A heat exchanger device that converts vapor into liquid by removing heat, commonly used in refrigeration cycles, power plants, and distillation processes to release thermal energy.

CYCLE – A series of thermodynamic processes where a system returns to its initial state, completing a loop that enables continuous operation in engines and refrigeration systems.

ENERGY – The fundamental capacity to perform work or transfer heat, existing in various forms including thermal, mechanical, chemical, and electrical, conserved in all thermodynamic processes.

ENTHALPY – A thermodynamic property representing total heat content of a system at constant pressure, equal to internal energy plus pressure-volume work, symbolized by H.

ENTROPY – A measure of disorder or randomness in a system, quantifying energy unavailability for work, always increasing in isolated systems according to the second law of thermodynamics.

EXPANSION – The process where a substance increases in volume, typically when heated or when pressure decreases, performing work on surroundings and changing thermodynamic state variables.

GAS – A state of matter with no fixed shape or volume, where molecules move freely with high kinetic energy, easily compressed, and filling available space.

HEAT – Thermal energy transferred between systems due to temperature difference, flowing spontaneously from higher to lower temperature regions, measured in joules or calories in thermodynamic analysis.

INTENSIVE – A thermodynamic property independent of system size or mass, such as temperature, pressure, or density, contrasting with extensive properties that depend on quantity.

ISOBARIC – A thermodynamic process occurring at constant pressure, where volume and temperature can change while pressure remains fixed, commonly seen in atmospheric processes and heating.

ISOTHERM – A process or curve representing constant temperature conditions, where pressure and volume may vary while thermal energy remains stable throughout the transformation sequence.

JOULE – The SI unit of energy and work, defined as force of one newton acting through one meter, named after James Prescott Joule who studied heat-work equivalence.

KELVIN – The absolute temperature scale starting at absolute zero, where molecular motion theoretically stops, using same increments as Celsius but beginning at minus 273.15 degrees.

KINETIC – Relating to motion and movement, describing energy possessed by moving molecules, directly proportional to temperature in gases, fundamental to understanding thermal behavior and properties.

PHASE – A distinct, homogeneous state of matter such as solid, liquid, or gas, separated by boundaries where physical properties change discontinuously during transitions between states.

PRESSURE – Force exerted per unit area, resulting from molecular collisions in gases or applied external forces, measured in pascals, atmospheres, or pounds per square inch.

RADIATION – Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves without requiring a physical medium, enabling energy transmission through vacuum, exemplified by solar energy reaching Earth through space effectively.

RESERVOIR – A large thermal mass that can absorb or supply heat without significant temperature change, serving as constant temperature source or sink in thermodynamic cycles.

SYSTEM – A defined region or quantity of matter selected for thermodynamic study, separated from surroundings by boundaries, which can be open, closed, or isolated.

WORK – Energy transfer resulting from force acting through distance, accomplished by system expansion, compression, or mechanical action, measured in joules, converting between energy forms systematically.