Sensible heat describes which of the following?

• A. The heat required to change phase
• B. The heat absorbed during phase change
• C. The energy to compress gas
• D. How hot something feels

Answer: (D)

Sensible heat is the energy that changes a substance’s temperature, the heat you can sense with a thermometer. It describes heating or cooling that increases or decreases temperature without changing the substance’s phase. In HVAC, when air’s temperature rises or falls, you’re adding or removing sensible heat. Latent heat is the energy involved in phase changes (melting, boiling), which happens without a temperature change. The energy needed to compress a gas is work, not this temperature-change heat. The sense of how hot something feels comes from its current temperature, which reflects its sensible heat content.