A cycle in which a substance rises as it is heated and sinks as it cools is called a “convection current”.
Compared to many other objects, sand has a relatively low specific heat. Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to increase 1.0 grams of a substance 1.0 degrees Celsius. Having a low specific heat implied that the substance heats up quickly.
Heat is a form of energy. Some of the heat from the...
A cycle in which a substance rises as it is heated and sinks as it cools is called a “convection current”.
Compared to many other objects, sand has a relatively low specific heat. Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to increase 1.0 grams of a substance 1.0 degrees Celsius. Having a low specific heat implied that the substance heats up quickly.
Heat is a form of energy. Some of the heat from the sand will be lost to the air around it. Thus, the sand will heat the air above it.
As the air is heated, it particles gain kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of movement. Thus, as the air is heated, its particles begin to move faster. As the particles move faster, they move apart. This causes the volume of the air’s particles to increase and the air’s density to decrease. As the air’s density decreases, the air moves upward in the troposphere.
However, the temperature decreases as one moves up the troposphere. Temperature is a measurement of the amount of kinetic energy in a substance. Thus, the as the temperature of the air decreases, so does the kinetic energy within its particles. Thus, within cold upper troposphere, the air particles begin to slow down. As the particles slow down, they contract closer to one another. Thus, the air’s density increases and it begins to sink.
This cycle continues as the cold air once again approaches the hot sand, becomes warm, rises into the troposphere, becomes cool, and sinks. A cycle in which a substance rises as it is heated and sinks as it cools is called a “convection current”.
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