Question

A cylinder contains a gas at a temperature of 400K. Explain two ways that you can add energy to the gas and raise its temperature.

Answer 1

Heat

You can usually warm something by adding energy. The added energy can be from light, electricity, friction, a chemical reaction, nuclear reaction, or any other kind of energy. When first added to a substance, energy might be concentrated in one atom, but this one will soon bump into others and spread the energy. Eventually, every atom or molecule in the substance will move a bit faster. When the added energy is spread throughout a substance, it is then called heat energy, thermal energy, or, simply heat. All three terms mean the same thing. Heat is a form of energy, so it has the units of energy. In the SI system, this is Joules. Many other units to measure thermal energy are in common use. Calories and BTU's are common heat units.

Temperature

You cannot measure heat directly, but you can detect its effect on a substance. Changes in heat can usually be detected as changes in temperature. Usually, when you add energy to a bunch of atoms they move faster and get hotter. Similarly, if you remove energy from a bunch of atoms, they usually move less and get cooler.