Lesson Plan

Explain that temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance

Distinguish temperature, heat, thermal energy, and internal energy

Interconvert temperatures between the Celsius, Kelvin, and Fahrenheit scales

Describe the Kelvin scale as an absolute scale and explain the meaning of absolute zero

11.1

"It is tempting to say that temperature measures heat, but this is not strictly true. Heat is the transfer of energy due to a temperature difference. Temperature is defined in terms of the instrument we use to tell us how hot or cold an object is... Temperature is literally defined as what we measure on a thermometer." "Without going into mathematical detail, we can say that thermal energy—the energy associated with heat—is the average kinetic energy of the particles (molecules or atoms) in a substance... The total internal energy of a system is the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of its atoms and molecules. Thermal energy is one of the subcategories of internal energy, as is chemical energy." "The Kelvin scale is the temperature scale that is commonly used in science because it is an absolute temperature scale... Zero degrees on the Kelvin scale is known as absolute zero; it is theoretically the point at which there is no molecular motion to produce thermal energy. ... The freezing point of water is 273.15 K, and the boiling point of water is 373.15 K."