Question

shelly tells a friend that her computer needs to be fixed because it has been producing a lot of heat and is smoking. where is the error in her statement?
heat cannot be described as having been produced.
thermal energy cannot be produced by electronics.
her computer should be producing a lot of heat and does not need to be fixed.
her computer is producing thermal energy, not heat.

Explanation:

Heat is the transfer of thermal energy. A computer produces thermal energy (due to electrical resistance etc.). Saying it "produces heat" is incorrect as heat is the transfer process, not something that is "produced" in the sense of being a stored entity. Thermal energy can be produced by electronics (like in a computer's components). A computer producing a lot of thermal energy (and smoking) does need to be fixed.

Answer:

Her computer is producing thermal energy, not heat.