Conduction: Transfer of thermal energy through collisions of particles (higher kinetic energy particles transfer energy to lower energy ones); occurs mainly in solids.
Convection: Transfer via bulk movement of fluid; hot fluid rises (lower density), cold fluid sinks (higher density), creating circulation.
Thermal Radiation: Emission of electromagnetic waves (mainly infrared); no medium required.
Measure temperature gradient and rate of conduction to find a material’s thermal conductivity.
Measure luminosity and apparent brightness (intensity observed from Earth) and thus determine the distance to a star.
Measure the peak wavelength in a blackbody spectrum and use Wien’s law to find the temperature of a star or other radiating body.
Knowing temperature and surface area allows us to predict radiated power and thermal behavior.
that conduction, convection and thermal radiation are the primary mechanisms for thermal energy transfer
conduction in terms of the difference in the kinetic energy of particles
quantitative analysis of rate of thermal energy transfer by conduction in terms of the type of material and cross-sectional area of the material and the temperature gradient
qualitative description of thermal energy transferred by convection due to fluid density differences
quantitative analysis of energy transferred by radiation as a result of the emission of electromagnetic waves from the surface of a body, which in the case of a black body can be modelled by the Stefan Boltzmann law where L is the luminosity, A is the surface area and T is the absolute temperature of the body
the concept of apparent brightness
luminosity L of a body
the emission spectrum of a black body and the determination of the temperature of the body using Wien's displacement law where max is the peak wavelength emitted.