What is the definition of 'sensible heat'?

Sensible heat refers to the portion of heat energy that causes a change in temperature of a substance without changing its state. This heat is what we can feel, as it directly contributes to the temperature we experience in our environment. When heat is added to or removed from a body, and we perceive this change through temperature fluctuations, that is sensible heat at work.

For instance, when you warm up a pot of water on the stove, the increase in temperature that you feel is due to sensible heat. This heat transfer can be directly measured using a thermometer, which is why it is crucial in meteorology for understanding temperature changes in the atmosphere and other systems.

The other options describe different concepts of heat that do not align with the definition of sensible heat. For example, the notion of heat that cannot be felt or that can be measured but not felt pertains to latent heat, which relates to phase changes in substances where temperature remains constant despite heat flow. Thus, the defining feature of sensible heat is its direct perceptibility, making it an essential aspect of thermal dynamics in meteorology.