The discussion revolves around the concept of heat conduction by electrons and whether electrons possess heat capacity or temperature. Participants explore the relationship between electrons, heat, and temperature, questioning the fundamental definitions and properties of these concepts.
The discussion is active, with various interpretations being explored regarding the definitions of heat and temperature. Some participants provide insights into the nature of energy transfer and the characteristics of electrons, while others express confusion about the implications of these properties.
Participants note the challenge of discussing heat in the context of individual particles, raising questions about the absence of internal structure in electrons and its implications for thermodynamic properties.
Does a single molecule or atom have heat capacity?quantumfoam said:If electrons conduct heat, then do they have a heat capacity? Also, I just noticed I posted this on the mathematics section. Haha
Temperature & heat are related, but they're not at all the same thing.quantumfoam said:Well temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance. Consequently shouldn't heat be almost the same thing?
quantumfoam said:Well heat is the energy transferred between two materials. But heat can only be transferred between two objects if the objects have atoms and molecules to absorb the energy to use as kinetic energy. How does an electron get a raise in temperature if it doesn't have any sub sub atomic particles to pass on the heat energy?
What is temperature?What I mean to say is, can an electron have temperature?
quantumfoam said:Temperature is the average kinetic energy of a materials particles. Since the electron doesn't have any "particles", it has
no temperature. Is it just me or is that strange thermodynamically? If a material doesn't have a temperature, what is the "stuff" that makes the electron? For neutrons and protons its a different story because they have quarks. What about the electron? Does having no temperature mean zero kelvin or something else?