Sensible heat is defined as what type of energy transfer?

• A. The energy exchanged by a thermodynamic system that relates to a change of temperature.
• B. Energy transferred during phase changes at constant temperature.
• C. The total energy including latent heat.
• D. Heat produced by chemical reactions.

Answer: (A)

Sensible heat is the energy transfer that changes the temperature of a substance without changing its phase. When heat is added or removed and the material remains in the same phase, the temperature shifts, and this is captured by the relation Q = m·c·ΔT, where m is mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the temperature change. This is the energy you feel as a temperature change on a thermometer.

This is different from latent heat, which is the energy involved in changing the phase of a substance (for example, melting or boiling) at a constant temperature. The total energy concept combines sensible and latent components, but it isn’t describing the specific temperature-change mechanism. Heat from chemical reactions is a separate scenario and not the definition of sensible heat.