What is sensible heat?

Sensible heat refers to the amount of heat that causes a measurable change in temperature of a substance without changing its state or phase. When you apply heat to a substance, such as water, and you observe a rise in temperature that you can quantify with a thermometer, this is the effect of sensible heat. As heat energy is added, the particles move faster, increasing the temperature which can be directly measured.

The other options refer to different concepts in thermodynamics. For example, heat energy during a chemical reaction is related to the enthalpy change, which involves the transformation of substances and typically doesn't fit the definition of sensible heat. Likewise, heat absorbed without a temperature change is known as latent heat, which refers to the heat involved in phase changes, such as melting or boiling, where the temperature remains constant during the transition. Lastly, the weight of substances when heated does not directly relate to the concept of heat transfer or temperature change, making it irrelevant in the context of defining sensible heat.