ESCO Air Conditioning Practice Exam

Sensible heat refers to the quantity of heat that causes a change in the temperature of a substance without resulting in a change of state. When heat is added or removed from a substance, its temperature will rise or fall correspondingly. This is observable in everyday situations, for example, when heating water on a stove, the temperature of the water rises as it absorbs heat.

In contrast, latent heat is associated with phase changes, such as when water changes from ice to liquid or from liquid to vapor, without changing temperature during the process. Conduction heat describes the process of heat transfer through a material due to a temperature difference, rather than a specific type of heat. Superheat refers to a state where a vapor has been heated beyond its boiling point without changing into a liquid, which is a different concept entirely. Understanding the distinction between these terms is crucial in fields involving thermodynamics and HVAC systems.