Which term refers to energy that is transferred between bodies due to a temperature difference?

• A. Kinetic energy of molecules
• B. Energy in transit due to a temperature difference
• C. Latent energy
• D. Potential energy stored in chemical bonds

Answer: (B)

Energy transferred between bodies because of a temperature difference is heat. Heat is energy in transit, moving from the hotter object to the cooler one until thermal equilibrium is reached. It isn’t the stored kinetic energy of molecules or the potential energy in chemical bonds or during phase changes. Those are forms of internal energy within substances (and latent energy relates to energy involved in changing phase, not the transfer between bodies). Heat can flow by conduction, convection, or radiation, depending on the situation.