All terms in this list:

conduction: is the transfer of thermal energy by collision between the particles that make up matter.

temperature: the measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles that make up that object

thermal energy: the sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy of all of the particles that make up that object

heat: the energy that is transferred between objects due to a temperature difference between those objects.

specific heat: the ratio of the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of substance by a unit degree to the amount of heat needed to raise that of the same mass of water by the same amount

convection: the transfer of thermal energy in a fluid by the movements of warmer and cooler fluid.

radiation: the transfer of energy through electromagnetic waves

thermal insulator: a material through which energy moves slowly

solar collector: a device that transfers radiant energy from the sun to thermal energy

thermodynamics: the study of the relationships between thermal energy, heat, and work.

1st law of thermodynamics: if mechanical energy is constant, then increase in thermal energy must be from energy transfer or work done on the system

2nd law of thermodynamics: energy spontaneously spreads from regions of higher concentration to lower concentration.

heat engine: engine that converts some thermal energy to mechanical energy.

internal combustion engine: A heat engine in which intermittent or the continuous burning of a fuel takes place inside a combustion chamber; the resulting pressurized gas acts directly on the engine to do useful work, such as a piston engine, gas turbine, jet engine or rocket.[1]