Question

A diagram shows an elephant cooling off from the heat by sprinkling itself with water using it's trunks. Explain how this helps using the kinetic theory of matter (I have no idea if this is actually related to physics because right now we're currently learning 'main science' only next year we will start bio, physics and chemistry)

Answer 1

Heat flows from higher temperature to lower temperature.When the elephant sprinkles water on its body, the water that comes into contact with the body absorbs the heat from the surface of the body which is at a higher temperature compared to water.This way the body loses some heat Q and the water gains the same heat Q

Answer 2

kinetic theory of matter : all matter is made of small particles in random motion in the space between themselves.

"thermal energy" (not "heat") manifests itself as the vibrations of particles. in hotter water, the H2O molecules vibrate more rapidly than in cooler water. heat exchange is therefore an exchange of particle kinetic energy. by the time the water has run off the elephants back, its particles will be vibrating more rapidly and the molecules in its skin will be vibrating more slowly.

in any random process, you will get this "evening out" of energy. its called entropy and is the subject of the 2nd law of thermodynamics. same as if you give a pool ball a good whack, the energy eventually gets spread out amongst all the balls on the table.

if the elephant really lucks out, some of the water might turn to water vapour, a gas. at this point the H20 molecules have begun vibrating so much that they break free of the electric attraction that normally binds water molecules into a liquid.

technically, "heat" is the transfer of energy due to a temperature difference