Temperature

Temperature, in physics, property of systems that determines whether they are in thermal equilibrium (see Thermodynamics). The concept of temperature stems from the idea of measuring relative hotness and coldness and from the observation that the addition of heat to a body leads to an increase in temperature as long as no melting or boiling occurs. In the case of two bodies at different temperatures, heat will flow from the hotter to the colder until their temperatures are identical and thermal equilibrium is reached (see Heat Transfer). Thus, temperatures and heat, although interrelated, refer to different concepts, temperature being a property of a body and heat being an energy flow to or from a body by virtue of a temperature difference. See Energy.

Temperature changes have to be measured in terms of other property changes of a substance. Thus, the conventional mercury thermometer measures the expansion of a mercury column in a glass capillary, the change in length of the column being related to the temperature change. If heat is added to an ideal gas contained in a constant-volume vessel, the pressure increases, and the temperature change can be determined from the pressure change by Gay-Lussac's law (see Gases), provided the temperature is expressed on the absolute scale.