Which type of heat energy causes a change in temperature and can be sensed with a thermometer?

• A. Latent heat
• B. Radiant heat
• C. Sensible heat
• D. Convective heat

Answer: (C)

Sensible heat is the energy that changes the temperature of a substance without changing its phase. When you heat or cool something in one phase, the added or removed energy directly raises or lowers its temperature, and a thermometer will register that change. This is what makes sensible heat measurable as a temperature reading.

Latent heat is the energy used to change a substance from one phase to another (like ice melting to water or water boiling to steam). During those phase changes, the temperature stays the same, so a thermometer doesn’t show a change even though energy is being transferred.

Radiant heat refers to the method of heat transfer via electromagnetic waves, and convective heat refers to transfer through moving fluids. Both can produce a temperature rise, but the specific term for energy that causes a measurable temperature change in a substance is sensible heat.