| English | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Melayu | Suhu |
| 中文 | 温度 |
Definition
A measure of the degree of hotness of a body, related to the average kinetic energy of its particles; measured in degrees Celsius (°C) or kelvin (K).
In exam terms
Temperature is a measure of the degree of hotness of a body, and it is related to the average kinetic energy of the particles in the body: the hotter the body, the greater the average kinetic energy. It is measured in degrees Celsius (°C) or kelvin (K).
Temperature decides the direction of heat flow: heat always flows from a region of higher temperature to one of lower temperature until they are equal. For example, if a hot metal block at 80 °C is placed in water at 30 °C, heat flows from the block to the water because the block is at the higher temperature.
Do not confuse it with…
Do not confuse temperature with heat. Temperature measures how hot something is and is linked to the average kinetic energy per particle, measured in °C or K. Heat is the total thermal energy transferred because of a temperature difference, measured in joules (J).
A large cool object can hold more heat than a tiny very hot one.
In Paper 2 this is asked as define temperature or state the difference between heat and temperature. State that temperature is related to the average kinetic energy of particles, while heat is a quantity of energy transferred.
Source: DSKP KSSM Physics Form 4 and 5 (Versi English) (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK), KPM)