Temperature
hideIn physics, temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that feels hotter generally has the higher temperature. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics. If no heat flow occurs between two objects, the objects have the same temperature; otherwise heat flows from the hotter object to the colder object. This is the content of the zeroth law of thermodynamics. On the microscopic scale, temperature can be defined as the average energy in each degree of freedom in the particles in a system. Because temperature is a statistical property, a system must contain a few particles for the question as to its temperature to make any sense. For a solid, this energy is found in the vibrations of its atoms about their equilibrium positions. In an ideal monatomic gas, energy is found in the translational motions of the particles; with molecular gases, vibrational and rotational motions also provide thermodynamic degrees of freedom.
Temperature is measured with thermometers that may be calibrated to a variety of temperature scales. In most of the world (except for Belize, Myanmar, Liberia and the United States), the Celsius scale is used for most temperature measuring purposes. The entire scientific world (these countries included) measures temperature using the Celsius scale and thermodynamic temperature using the Kelvin scale, which is just the Celsius scale shifted downwards so that 0 K= −273.15 °C, or absolute zero. Many engineering fields in the U.S., notably high-tech and US federal specifications (civil and military), also use the kelvin and degrees Celsius scales. Other engineering fields in the U.S. also rely upon the Rankine scale (a shifted Fahrenheit scale) when working in thermodynamic-related disciplines such as combustion.
For more information about Temperature, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with temperature
Study: Earth more sensitive to carbon dioxide than previously thought
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 06, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (32) |
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In the long term, the Earth's temperature may be 30-50% more sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide than has previously been estimated, reports a new study published in Nature Geoscience this week.
Advanced nuclear fuel sets global performance record
Nov 17, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (21) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Idaho National Laboratory scientists have set a new world record with next-generation particle fuel for use in high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs).
Record high temperatures far outpace record lows across US (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 12, 2009 |
3 / 5 (28) |
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Spurred by a warming climate, daily record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last decade across the continental United States, new research shows. The ratio of record highs ...
Shape shifters: Researchers create new breed of antennas
Dec 01, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (13) |
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Antennas aren't just for listening to the radio anymore. They're used in everything from cell phones to GPS devices. Research from North Carolina State University is revolutionizing the field of antenna design ...
Climate change in Kuwait Bay
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 30, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (13) |
1
Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Arabian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6°C per decade. This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the Intergovernmental ...
Ancient high-altitude trees grow faster as temperatures rise
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 16, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
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PIC=32536:left]Increasing temperatures at high altitudes are fueling the post-1950 growth spurt seen in bristlecone pines, the world's oldest trees, according to new research.
Leaders say momentum building on climate change
Nov 29, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (15) |
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(AP) -- Leaders of the Commonwealth countries called Saturday for a legally binding international agreement on climate change and a global fund with billions of dollars to help poor countries meet its mandates.
Ice Cold: Cooler Than Being Cool
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (10) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Water expands when it freezes. Anyone who has ever left a can of soda or bottle of water in the freezer too long has witnessed this first hand. So how do plants and animals survive severe ...
Epson's new 4K panel for 3LCD projectors
Nov 10, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Seiko Epson Corporation has announced the world's first 4K panel for 3LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors. The panel will enable the projectors to produce a bright image of 4096 x 2160 ...
Cassini Sends Back Images of Enceladus as Winter Nears
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 23, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sailed seamlessly through the Nov. 21 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and started transmitting uncalibrated temperature data and images of the rippling terrain. ...
Stuffing the turkey and other Thanksgiving food-safety mistakes
Nov 25, 2009 |
4 / 5 (5) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- What would a Thanksgiving turkey be without its stuffing, and what better place for that stuffing than inside the turkey? Despite the tradition involved, a food-safety specialist in Penn State's College of ...
First metallic nanoparticles resistant to extreme heat
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Nov 30, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
A University of Pittsburgh team overcame a major hurdle plaguing the development of nanomaterials such as those that could lead to more efficient catalysts used to produce hydrogen and render car exhaust less toxic. The researchers ...
Oceans absorbing carbon dioxide more slowly, scientist finds
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 24, 2009 |
3 / 5 (6) |
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The world's oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide (CO2), a Yale geophysicist has found after pooling data taken over the past 50 years. With the oceans currently absorbing over 40 percent of the CO2 emitted by human activity, ...
Noise Evidence Could Expand Hurricane Record
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 10, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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As sea-surface temperatures rise across the globe, some scientists believe that hurricane frequency and intensity may increase. A fresh technique offers promise to generate new data from long-dead storms, ...
A Tiny Cage of Gold Responds to Light, Opening to Empty Its Contents
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 19, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a polymer-coated gold nanocage that not only opens in response to light to release a small amount of a drug payload, but then closes when the ...
