Work vs. Heat

[Samira 2B]

Is this difference between work and heat the same difference between velocity and speed? Why I think of this is because in the textbook it describes the fundamental difference between these two is that when energy is transferred as work, the molecules in the surroundings move in directed directions and when energy is transferred as heat, the molecules in the surroundings move in random directions.

So, that work has a direction while heat does not?

[Jason Muljadi 2C]

I'd like to think that heat is basically the energy expended molecularly while work is more on a macro basis. Work is basically like you pushing a box; you know that energy is being used there and you can see it and feel it. Now, if you were to boil water, energy is expended molecularly because the H₂O molecules are getting hotter and hotter; this is an example of work vs. heat.

[Rohan Chaudhari- 1K]

Work and heat are two different forms of energy transfer. Work is the mechanical transfer of energy while heat is the thermal.

[Nathan Tu 2C]

Work and heat are related by the fact that they both involve energy. Work is the energy required to do "something" and then heat is thermal energy. Thus, we can derive formulas relating work to heat is based on the conservation of energy.

[MSkye Goldwater 2K]

The difference between velocity and speed is something we don't really need to think about in this course. While both q and w have units of energy (typically J or kJ) when used in the 1st law of thermo equation, q and w are quite different. q is heat which has to do with the thermal energy and w is work which has to do with the ability to compress or expand the volume of a gas.

[804899546]

Does the energy that gets transferred into heat always have to be equal to or greater than the energy converted into work, or can either be larger than the other?

[Ishita Monga 1B]

Does the energy that gets transferred into heat always have to be equal to or greater than the energy converted into work, or can either be larger than the other?

Heat and work are not dependent on each other.