Although they are often used interchangeably, heat and temperature are different. Heat is a kind of energy transfer, while temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the particles within an object. Joules (J) is used to quantify heat, while degrees Celsius (°C) are used to quantify temperature. There is a small but important difference between heat and temperature. Heat is the total energy of molecular motion, whereas temperature is the average energy of molecular motion. So, let’s look at what the explanation below says.
What is the Relationship Between Heat and Temperature?
Heat is the type of energy that makes the temperature go up. Temperature is a measure of the amount of heat energy in a substance. It shows how fast the molecules move and how much heat energy is in the substance. When two things are at different temperatures, heat moves from one to the other. The molecules in the hotter substance move faster when heat is transferred, which raises their temperature and lowers the temperature of the colder substance.
What Is Heat?
Heat is the form of energy that causes an increase in temperature. Temperature is the quantity of heat energy present in a substance. It indicates the average velocity of the molecules and the amount of heat energy present in the substance. When two objects have dissimilar temperatures, heat will transfer from one to the other. When heat is transmitted, the molecules in the hotter substance move faster, raising their temperature and reducing the colder substance’s temperature. There are three modes to transfer heat energy: conduction, convection, and radiation.
What is Temperature?
Temperature is the physical attribute of a substance that specifies its heat content. It corresponds to the average kinetic energy of the particles and hence explains the substance’s temperature.
We know cold and hot are non-scientific terms, but they carry enormous weight when mentioning the word temperature. We have already established that a substance with greater heat is considered hot, whereas one with less heat is considered cold. This is the basis for determining temperature, which relates to the molecular motion of particles in a substance; the degree of coldness or warmth is considered. Unlike heat, the temperature is independent of the mass or kind of particle because it is an average measurement, making it pertinent to the mobility of particles. A body with a high temperature suggests a high-energy vibrational movement of the molecules.
Imagine two distinct vessels, one containing 2 ml of water and the other containing 4ml, filled with water. Even though both vessels are at the same temperature, the vessel with more water holds more heat than the vessel with less water because more water contains more thermal energy.
Difference Between Heat and Temperature
- As you can see from the definitions above, heat and temperature are two different ways to measure physical things. Here are just a few of the ways they are different:
- There are different ways to measure them. The Kelvin is the SI unit for temperature, while the joule is the SI unit for heat. The Kelvin is a base unit, which means that it can’t be broken down into a mix of other basic units. A kgm2/s2 is equal to a joule.
- They have different effects on the number of molecules. Temperature is the average amount of kinetic energy per molecule. This means it doesn’t matter how much of a substance you have when discussing temperature. But the amount of heat energy that can be transferred from one thing to another depends a lot on how much of each thing you have.
- They are not the same kind of variable. The temperature is a “state variable.” That is, it describes the state of a thing or substance. In contrast, heat is a process variable. It talks about something happening, in this case, energy transfer. When everything is in balance, it makes no sense to talk about the heat.
- There are different ways to measure them. A thermometer is a tool that is used to measure temperature. It is usually a device that uses thermal expansion to change the reading on a scale. On the other hand, a calorimeter is used to measure heat.
We discussed the difference between temperature and heat. Both of these concepts are of paramount importance in scientific study. The body’s total heat energy reveals the total number of particles present. But temperature is merely a measure of the average energy of the particles in a material.