Energy transfer as a result of a temperature difference is known as what?

• A. Work
• B. Heat
• C. Entropy
• D. Temperature

Answer: (B)

Energy transfer caused by a difference in temperature is called heat. When two objects at different temperatures come into contact, energy flows from the hotter to the cooler object until they reach thermal equilibrium. The amount transferred depends on the mass, the material’s specific heat, and the temperature change involved.

This differs from work, which is energy transfer produced by a force causing displacement, not directly by temperature differences. Temperature is a property that measures the average kinetic energy of particles, not the energy that moves between systems. Entropy is a measure of how energy is dispersed or the number of ways energy can be arranged, not the transfer itself.