Secondary I • 3yr.
I don't understand the difference between temperature and heat, can someone help me?
I don't understand the difference between temperature and heat, can someone help me?
Explanation from Alloprof
This Explanation was submitted by a member of the Alloprof team.
Hello Delta Potassium,
Thank you for your question!
Temperature refers to the degree of agitation of the particles in a given substance.
In other words, if a substance’s particles move a lot, they hold lots of energy and thus, a high temperature. Inversely, if a substance’s particles don’t move a lot, they have little energy and thus, a low temperature.
Temperature can be measured with a thermometer. The most frequently used temperature units are degrees Celsius (° C), Fahrenheit (° F), and Kelvin (K).
Heat refers to a transfer of energy from one substance to another, provided there is a temperature difference between them. Thus, one substance at a higher temperature tends to transfer heat to another. The final temperature will be between the one of the hotter substance and the one of the colder substance.
Heat transfer occurs because particles of the hotter substance (which move faster) collide with particles of the cooler substance (which move slower), tending to even out how fast particles move. The initially warmer particles are slowed down while the initially cooler particles are accelerated.
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