Practice question · Multiple choice
Two objects at the same temperature can hold very different amounts of thermal energy. Why does temperature not measure the total?
Hints
- Ask which way heat flows between a hot spark and a warm bath.
- Per particle, or in total?
Show the answer
A. The average kinetic energy per particle, not the total
Why
Temperature is intensive and thermal energy is extensive. That is why a spark at 1000 °C is harmless and a bath at 60 °C is not, and why heat flow follows temperature, not energy content.
Practise Temperature and Thermal Properties of Matter
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