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Definition: Temperature |
TemperatureNoun1. The degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity). 2. The somatic sensation of cold or heat. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "temperature" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
Etymology: Temperature \Tem"per*a*ture\, noun. [French temp['e]rature, Latin temperatura due measure, proportion, temper, temperament.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | 1. In general, the intensity of heat as measured on some definite temperature scale by means of any of various types of thermometers. 2. In statistical mechanics, a measure of translational molecular kinetic energy (with three degrees of freedom).3. In thermodynamics, the integrating factor of the differential equation referred to as the first law of thermodynamics. (references) |
Energy | Degree of hotness or coldnessmeasured on one of several arbitrary scales based on some observable phenomenon(such as the expansion). (references) |
Mining | A. The heat content of a body as measured on a definite scale based on some observable phenomenon; e.g., the expansion of mercury on heating. See also:absolute temperature; Celsius; centigrade; critical temperature; Fahrenheit; Kelvin temperature scale; Rankine scale b. A degree of hotness or of coldness measured on one of several arbitrary scales based on some observable phenomenon; e.g., the expansion of mercury on heating. The degree of a material substance that is a linear function of the kinetic energy of the random motion of its molecules. The degree of a vacuum that depends upon the density of the radiant energy within it. Abbreviations and symbols, temp; T; t; T; t. CF:absolute ze e.g., the expansion of mercury on heating. See also:absolute temperature; Celsius; centigrade; critical temperature; Fahrenheit; Kelvin temperature scale; Rankine scale. (references) |
Physics | Quantity featuring the state of an object related with its internal energy which is a function of the kinetic energy of its particles. Fundamental property of this quantity(or function of state)is that if it is different for two bodies that are in contact with one another or close one to the other, energy is transmitted from the one for which it is higher to the other:after a given time, this exchange of energy stops, equilibrium has been reached, both bodies are said to be at the same temperature. This definition is justified by the fact that when two bodies are separately in equilibrium with a third one they are in equilibrium with each other. Source: European Union. (references) |
Science | A measure of the energy in a substance. The more heat energy in the substance, the higher the temperature. The Earth receives only one two-billionth of the energy the sun produces. Much of the energy that hits the Earth is reflected back into space. Most of the energy that isn't reflected is absorbed by the Earth's surface. As the surface warms, it also warms the air above it. (references) |
| Numerical measures of heat or cold registered on a thermometer. The common measures (scales) of temperature are Fahrenheit and Celsius. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius. (references) | |
Space | It is a measure of the kinetic energy of the molecules and shows how the heat of the air. (references) |
Weather | Measure of the average speed of motion of the atoms or molecules in a substance or combination of substances at a given moment. See heat. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The kelvin (symbol: K) is a unit to measure temperature. It is one of the seven SI base units. It is defined by two factors: zero kelvin is absolute zero (when molecular motion stops), and one kelvin is the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water (0.01 °C). The Celsius temperature scale is now defined in terms of the kelvin.
It is named after the physicist and engineer William Thomson, who became Lord Kelvin when he was made a peer.
The kelvin as an SI unit is correctly written with a lowercase k (unless at the beginning of a sentence), and is never preceded by the words degree or degrees, or the symbol °, like Fahrenheit, Celsius or centigrade. This is because the latter three are scales of measurement, whereas the kelvin is a unit of measurement.
Conversion factors
kelvin to Celsius
Celsius to kelvin
kelvin to Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit to kelvin
electron volts to kelvin
kelvin to electron volts
External link
- Conversion Calculator for Units of TEMPERATURE
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Kelvin."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In physics, temperature is the physical property of a system which underlies the common notions of "hot" and "cold"; generally the material with the higher temperature is said to be hotter.
Formally, temperature is that property which governs the transfer of thermal energy, or heat, between one system and another. When two systems are at the same temperature, they are in thermal equilibrium and no heat transfer will occur. When a temperature difference does exist, heat will tend to move from the higher temperature system to the lower temperature system, until thermal equilibrium is again established. This heat transfer may occur via conduction, convection or radiation (see heat for additional discussion of the various mechanisms of heat transfer). The formal properties of temperature are studied in thermodynamics. Temperature also plays an important role in almost all fields of science, including physics, chemistry, and biology.
Temperature is related to the amount of thermal energy or heat in a system. As more heat is added the temperature rises, similarly a decrease in temperature corresponds to a loss of heat from the system. On the microscopic scale this heat corresponds to the random motion of atoms and molecules in the system. Thus, an increase in temperature corresponds in an increase in the rate of movement of the atoms in the system.
Many physical properties of materials including the phase (gas, liquid or solid), density, solubility, vapor pressure, and electrical conductivity depend on the temperature. Temperature also plays an important role in determining the rate and extent to which chemical reactions occur. This is one reason why the human body has several elaborate mechanisms for maintaining the temperature at 37 °C, since temperatures only a few degrees higher can result in harmful reactions with serious consequences. Temperature also controls the type and quantity of thermal radiation emitted from a surface. One application of this effect is the incandescent light bulb, in which a tungsten filament is electrically heated to a temperature at which significant quantities of visible light are emitted.
Temperature is an intrinsic property of a system, meaning that it does not depend on the system size or the amount of material in the system. Other intrinsic properties include pressure and density. By contrast, mass and volume are extrinsic properties, and depend on the amount of material in the system.
Units of Temperature
The basic unit of temperature in the International System of Units is the kelvin (K). One kelvin is formally defined as 1/273.16 of the temperature of the triple point of water (the point at which water, ice and water vapor exist in equilibrium). The temperature 0 K is called absolute zero and corresponds to the point at which the molecules and atoms have the least possible thermal energy. No macroscopic system can have a temperature less than absolute zero. An important unit of temperature in theoretical physics is the Planck temperature (1.4×1032 K).
For everyday applications, it is often convenient to use the Celsius (previously centigrade) scale, in which 0 °C corresponds to the temperature at which water freezes and 100 °C corresponds to the boiling point of water at sea level. In this scale a temperature difference of 1 degree is the same as a 1 K temperature difference, so the scale is essentially the same as the kelvin scale, but offset by the temperature at which water freezes (273.15 K). Thus the following equation can be used to convert from Celsius to kelvin.
In the United States, the Fahrenheit scale is widely used. On this scale the freezing point of water corresponds to 32 °F and the boiling point to 212 °F. The following formula can be used to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius:
Other temperature scales include the Rankine and the Reaumur.
Theoretical foundation of temperature
Zeroth-Law definition of temperature
While most people have a basic understanding of the concept of temperature, its formal definition is rather complicated. Before jumping to a formal definition, let's consider the concept of thermal equilibrium. If two closed systems with fixed volumes are brought together, so that they are in thermal contact, changes may take place in the properties of both systems. These changes are due to the transfer of heat between the systems. When a state is reached in which no further changes occur, the systems are in thermal equilibrium.
Now a basis for the definition of temperature can be obtained from the 'zeroth law of Thermodynamics, which states that if two systems, A and B, are in thermal equilibrium and a third system C is in thermal equilibrium with system A then systems B and C will also be in thermal equilibrium. This is an empirical fact, based on observation rather than theory. Since A, B, and C are all in thermal equilibrium, it is reasonable to say each of these systems shares a common value of some property. We call this property temperature.
Generally, it is not convenient to place any two arbitrary systems in thermal contact to see if they are in thermal equilibrium and thus have the same temperature. Therefore, it is useful to establish a temperature scale based on the properties of some reference system. Then, a measuring device can be calibrated based on the properties of the reference system and used to measure the temperature of other systems. One such reference system is a fixed quantity of gas. Boyle's law indicates that the product of the Pressure and volume (P×V) of a gas is directly proportional to the temperature. This can be expressed by the Ideal gas law as:
where T is temperature, n is the amount of gas (number of moless) and R is the Ideal gas constant. Thus, one can define a scale for temperature based on the corresponding pressure and volume of the gas. In practice, such a gas thermometer is not very convenient, but other measuring instruments can be calibrated to this scale.
- (1)
Equation 1 indicates that for a fixed volume of gas, the pressure increases with increasing temperature. Pressure is just a measure of the force applied by the gas on the walls of the container and is related to the energy of the system. Thus, we can see that an increase in temperature corresponds to an increase in the thermal energy of the system. When two systems of differing temperature are placed in thermal contact, the temperature of the hotter system decreases, indicating that heat is leaving that system, while the cooler system is gaining heat and increasing in temperature. Thus heat always moves from a region of high temperature to a region of lower temperature and it is the temperature difference that drives the heat transfer between the two systems.
Second-Law definition of temperature
In the previous section temperature was defined in terms of the Zeroth Law of thermodynamics. It is also possible to define temperature in terms of the second law of thermodynamics, which deals with entropy. Entropy is a measure of the disorder in a system. The second law states that any process will result in either no change or a net increase in the entropy of the universe. This can be understood in terms of probability. Consider a series of coin tosses. A perfectly ordered system would be one in which every coin toss would come up either heads or tails. For any number of coin tosses, there is only one combination of outcomes corresponding to this situation. On the other hand, there are multiple combinations that can result in disordered or mixed systems, where some fraction are heads and the rest tails. As the number of coin tosses increases, the number of combinations corresponding to imperfectly ordered systems increases. For a very large number of coin tosses, the number of combinations corresponding to ~50% heads and ~50% tails dominates and obtaining an outcome significantly different than 50/50 becomes extremely unlikely. Thus the system naturally progresses to a state of maximum disorder or entropy.
Now, we have stated previously that temperature controls the flow of heat between two systems and we have just shown that the universe, and we would expect any natural system, tends to progress so as to maximize entropy. Thus, we would expect there to be some relationship between temperature and entropy. In order to find this relationship let's first consider the relationship between heat, work and temperature. A Heat engine is a device for converting heat into mechanical work and analysis of the Carnot heat engine provides the necessary relationships we seek. The work from a heat engine corresponds to the difference between the heat put into the system at the high temperature, qH and the heat ejected at the low temperature, qC. The efficiency is the work divided by the heat put into the system or:
where wcy is the work done per cycle. We see that the efficiency depends only on qC/qH. Because qC and qH correspond to heat transfer at the temperatures TC and TH, respectively, qC/qH should be some function of these temperatures:
- (2)
Carnot's theorem states that all reversible engines operating between the same heat reservoirs are equally efficient. Thus, a heat engine operating between T1 and T3 must have the same efficiency as one consisting of two cycles, one between T1 and T2, and the second between T2 and T3. This can only be the case if:
- (3)
which implies:
Since the first function is independent of T2, this temperature must cancel on the right side, meaning f(T1,T3) is of the form g(T1)/g(T3) (i.e. f(T1,T3) = f(T1,T2)f(T2,T3) = g(T1)/g(T2)×g(T2)/g(T3) = g(T1)/g(T3)), where g is a function of a single temperature. We can now choose a temperature scale with the property that:
Substituting Equation 4 back into Equation 2 gives a relationship for the efficiency in terms of temperature:
- (4)
Notice that for TC=0 K the efficiency is 100% and that efficiency becomes greater than 100% below 0 K. Since an efficiency greater than 100% violates the first law of thermodynamics, this implies that 0 K is the minimum possible temperature. In fact the lowest temperature ever obtained in a macroscopic system was 20 nK, which was achieved in 1995 at NIST. Subtracting the right hand side of Equation 5 from the middle portion and rearranging gives:
- (5)
where the negative sign indicates heat ejected from the system. This relationship suggests the existence of a state function, S, defined by:
where the subscript indicates a reversible process. The change of this state function around any cycle is zero, as is necessary for any state function. This function corresponds to the entropy of the system, which we described previously. We can rearranging Equation 6 to get a new definition for temperature in terms of entropy and heat:
- (6)
For a system, where entropy S may be a function S(E) of its energy E, the termperature T is given by:
- (7)
The reciprocal of the temperature is the rate of increase of entropy with energy.
- (8)
Heat capacity
Also see Specific heat capacity.
Temperature is related to the amount of thermal energy or heat in a system. As heat is added to the system, the temperature increases by an amount proportional to the amount of heat being added. The constant of proportionality is called the heat capacity and reflects the ability of the material to store heat.
The heat is stored in a variety of modes, corresponding to the various quantum states accessible to the system. As the temperature increases more quantum states become accessible, resulting in an increase in heat capacity. For a monatomic gas at low temperatures, the only accessible modes correspond to the translational motion of the atoms, so all of the energy is due to movement of the atoms (Actually, a small amount of energy, called the Zero Point Energy arises due to the confinement of the gas into a fixed volume, this energy is present even at 0 K). Since the kinetic energy is related to the motion of the atoms, 0 K corresponds to the point at which all atoms are motionless. For such a system, a temperature below 0 K is not possible, since it is not possible for the atoms to move slower than to be motionless.
At higher temperatures, electronic transitions become accessible, further increasing the heat capacity. For most materials these transitions are not important below 104 K, however for a few common molecules, such transitions are important even at room temperature. At extremely high temperatures (>108 K) nuclear transitions become accessible. In addition to translational, electronic, and nuclear modes, polyatomic molecules also have modes associated with rotation and vibrations along the molecular bonds, which are accessible even at low temperatures. In solids most of the stored heat corresponds to atomic vibrations.
Negative Temperatures
At low temperatures, particles tend to move to their lowest energy states. As you increase the temperature, particles move into higher and higher energy states. As the temperature becomes infinite, the number of particles in the lower energy states and the higher energy states becomes equal. In some situations, it is possible to create a system in which there are more particles in the higher energy states than in the lower ones. This situation can be described with a negative temperature. A negative temperature is not colder than absolute zero, but rather it is hotter than infinite temperature.The previous section described how heat is stored in the various translational, vibrational, rotational, electronic, and nuclear modes of a system. The macroscopic temperature of a system is related to the total heat stored in all of these modes and in a normal system thermal energy is constantly being exchanged between the various modes. However, for some cases it is possible to isolate one or more of the modes. In practice the isolated modes still exchange energy with the other modes, but the time scale of this exchange is much slower than for the exchanges within the isolated mode. One example is the case of nuclear spins in a strong external magnetic field. In this case energy flows fairly rapidly among the spin states of interacting atoms, but energy transfer between the nuclear spins and other modes is relatively slow. Since the energy flow is predominantly within the spin system, it makes sense to think of a spin temperature that is distinct from the temperature due to other modes.
Based on Equation 7, we can say a positive temperature corresponds to the condition where entropy increases as thermal energy is added to the system. This is the normal condition in the macroscopic world and is always the case for the translational, vibrational, rotational, and non-spin related electronic and nuclear modes. The reason for this is that there are an infinite number of these types of modes and adding more heat to the system increases the number of modes that are energetically accessible, and thus the entropy. However, for the case of electronic and nuclear spin systems there are only a finite number of modes available (often just 2, corresponding to spin up and spin down). In the absence of a magnetic field, these spin states are degenerate, meaning that they correspond to the same energy. When an external magnetic field is applied, the energy levels are split, since those spin states that are aligned with the magnetic field will have a different energy than those that are anti-parallel to it.
In the absence of a magnetic field, one would expect such a two-spin system to have roughly half the atoms in the spin-up state and half in the spin-down state, since this maximizes entropy. Upon application of a magnetic field, some of the atoms will tend to align so as to minimize the energy of the system, thus slightly more atoms should be in the lower-energy state (for the purposes of this example we'll assume the spin-down state is the lower-energy state). It is possible to add energy to the spin system using radio frequency (RF) techniques. This causes atoms to flip from spin-down to spin-up. Since we started with over half the atoms in the spin-down state, initially this drives the system towards a 50/50 mixture, so the entropy is increasing, corresponding to a positive temperature. However, at some point more than half of the spins are in the spin-up position. In this case adding additional energy, reduces the entropy since it moves the system further from a 50/50 mixture. This reduction in entropy with the addition of energy corresponds to a negative temperature. For additional information see [1].
Temperature in gases
As mentioned previously for a monatomic ideal gas the temperature is related to the translational motion or average speed of the atoms. The Kinetic theory of gases uses Statistical mechanics to relate this motion to the average kinetic energy of atoms and molecules in the system. For this case 11300 degrees Celsius corresponds to an average kinetic energy of one electronvolt; to take room temperature (300 kelvin) as an example, the average energy of air molecules is 300/11300 eV, or 0.0273 electronvolts. This average energy is independent of particle mass, which seems counterintuitive to many people. Although the temperature is related to the average kinetic energy of the particles in a gas, each particle has its own energy which may or may not correspond to the average. In a gas the distribution of energy (and thus speeds) of the particles corresponds to the Boltzmann distribution.
An electronvolt is a very small unit of energy, on the order of 1.602e-19 joules.
Temperature Measurement
Many methods have been developed for measuring temperature. Most of these rely on measuring some physical property of a working material that varies with temperature. One of the most common devices for measuring temperature is the glass thermometer. This consists of a glass tube filled with mercury or some other liquid, which acts as the working fluid. Temperature increases cause the fluid to expand, so the temperature can be determined by measuring the volume of the fluid. Such thermometers are usually calibrated, so that one can read the temperature, simply by observing the level of the fluid in the thermometer. Another type of thermometer that is not really used much in practice, but is important from a theoretical standpoint is the gas thermometer mentioned previously.
Other important devices for measuring temperature include:
One must be careful when measuring temperature to ensure that the measuring instrument (thermometer, thermocouple, etc) is really the same temperature as the material that is being measured. Under some conditions heat from the measuring instrument can cause a temperature gradient, so the measured temperature is different from the actual temperature of the system. In such a case the measured temperature will vary not only with the temperature of the system, but also with the heat transfer properties of the system. An extreme case of this effect gives rise to the wind chill factor, where the weather feels colder under windy conditions than calm conditions even though the temperature is the same. What is happening is that the wind increases the rate of heat transfer from the body, resulting in a larger reduction in body temperature for the same ambient temperature.
- Thermocouples
- Thermistors
- Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD)
- Pyrometers
- Other thermometers
See also: color temperature, Timeline of temperature and pressure measurement technology
Articles about temperature ranges:
- 1 picokelvin
- 1 nanokelvin
- 1 microkelvin
- 1 millikelvin
- 1 kelvin
- 10 kelvin
- 100 kelvin
- 1,000 kelvin
- 10,000 kelvin
- 100,000 kelvin
- 106 kelvin
- 109 kelvin
- 1012 kelvin
- 1015 kelvin
- 1018 kelvin
- 1021 kelvin
- 1024 kelvin
- 1027 kelvin
- 1030 kelvin
External links
- An elementary introduction to temperature aimed at a middle school audience
- National Science Digital Library - Temperature
- How to Convert Temperatures : A middle school lesson plan on converting temperatures.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Temperature."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| TE | English | Temperature element | Electrical Engineering, Physics |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Calefaction | Noun: increase of temperature; heating. Verb: calefaction, tepefaction, torrefaction; melting, fusion; liquefaction; burning. Verb: ambustion, combustion; incension, accension; concremation, cremation; scorification; cautery, cauterization; ustulation, calcination; cracking, refining; incineration, cineration; carbonization; cupellation. |
Disease | Fever, temperature, calenture; inflammation. |
Heat | Noun: heat, caloric; temperature, warmth, fervor, calidity; incalescence, incandescence; glow, flush; fever, hectic. |
Life | Breathing, breathing rate, heartbeat, pulse, temperature. |
Refrigeration | Noun: refrigeration, infrigidation, reduction of temperature; cooling. Verb: congelation, conglaciation; ice; solidification. (density); ice box (refrigerator). |
Thermometer | Noun: thermometer, thermometrograph, mercury thermometer, alcohol thermometer, clinical thermometer, dry-bulb thermometer, wet-bulb thermometer, Anschutz thermometer, gas thermometer, telethermometer; color-changing temperature indicator; thermopile, thermoscope; pyrometer, calorimeter, bomb calorimeter; thermistor, thermocouple. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | The temperature topped out at ninety-eight degrees the day our lives were forever altered (Sleepers; writing credit: Barry Levinson) What do you suppose the temperature is (Planes, Trains & Automobiles; writing credit: John Hughes.) The only thing we don't know about is temperature. (Alien; writing credit: Dan O'Bannon; Ronald Shusett) The report does not confirm body temperature. (Sanford and Son; writing credit: Earl Barret; Ted Bergman) Good morning, gentlemen, the temperature is 110 degrees (Top Gun; writing credit: Ehud Yonay; Jim Cash) | |
Lyrics | The temperature is rising (Clockwork Creep; performing artist: 10CC) I feel my temperature rising (Burning Love; performing artist: Elvis Presley) My temperature started to rise (Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress); performing artist: Hollies) You make my temperature rise, ooh boy (You're Makin Me High; performing artist: Toni Braxton) | |
Clever | It doesn't matter what temperature the room is; it's always room temperature. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Canada: Low Temperature Gas (1963) My Artistical Temperature (1937) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References | |||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | These are various images of a patient being treated with hyperthermia. Whole body hyperthermia is a method to raise a patient's body temperature for the treatment of advanced cancer. This technique is based on laboratory studies that show cancer cells are more sensitive to heat injury than normal cells. Physicians induce hyperthermia using a high-flow water suit controlled by a microprocessor, a machine which closely monitors body temperature. The patient's body temperature is raised by the insulated build-up of metabolic (body) heat, plus by the heat delivered by the warm-water suit. Credit: Mike Mitchell (photographer). |  | Shown is a patient being treated with hyperthermia. Whole body hyperthermia is a method to raise a patient's body temperature for the treatment of advanced cancer. This technique is based on laboratory studies that show cancer cells are more sensitive to heat injury than normal cells. Physicians induce hyperthermia using a high-flow water suit controlled by a microprocessor, a machine which closely monitors body temperature. The patient's body temperature is raised by the insulated build-up of metabolic (body) heat, plus by the heat delivered by the warm-water suit. Credit: Mike Mitchell (photographer). |
 | The hairs act to increase the levels of sensitivity experienced by the wasp to environmental conditions such as wind direction, moisture, and temperature. Credit: CDC. |  | Global Sea Surface Temperature maps. Credit: NASA. |
 | These cloud formations were seen over the western Aleutian Islands. Their color variations are probably due to differences in temperature and in the size of water droplets that make up the clouds. Credit: NASA. |  | Dog sled trip up the 141st Meridian to the Arctic Ocean International Boundary Party under Assistant John H. Turner Traveled from Porcupine to Arctic Ocean and back in 18 days A round trip of over 400 miles --- lowest temperature was -50 Fahrenheit March 27 to April 14, 1890. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Example of Gulf Stream thermal wedge Sounding artifact created by abrupt changes in water temperature Observed on EXPLORER. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Temperature sensors on CTD instrument on MILLER FREEMAN. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
 | Dressed up for a winter weather at the South Pole - temperature dropped to -106 Fahrenheit. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | The result of changes of water temperature on fisheries is significant. As water temperatures rise and nutrient levels decline, shoals of cold-water-loving small pelagics scatter and descend to depths of 150 to 200 meters, where they are not accessible to traditional surface purse seiners, or they migrate south. Credit: Fisheries. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |
| "Fall in Holland" by Jeroen Theuvenet Commentary: "Picture taken in a small village in Holland, sun shining, but the temperature was low." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Play | Caption |
 | Air conditioner; fan; cooling; ventilator; Freon; air conditioning; climate control; temperature regulator. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Paul J. Meyer | Enthusiasm is emotion management; The ability to control the emotional temperature of any personal situation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | I dwelt long upon the fertility of our soil, and the temperature of our climate |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | I took particular pleasure in this breaking of ground, for in almost all latitudes men dig into the earth for an equable temperature. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Try foods cold or at room temperature. (references) | |
Drink liquids that are at room temperature. (references) | ||
It is also involved in temperature regulation. (references) | ||
Business | Combustion efficiency, low coefficient and flue gas temperature are the main parameters. (references) | |
Its equipment include high temperature, rapid quench vacuum furnaces and an automated platinum plate system. (references) | ||
With a relatively uniform year round temperature, much of the energy consumption is used in air-conditioning and refrigeration. (references) | ||
Economic History | Portugal | Climate: Maritime temperate, average annual temperature is 16°C (61°F). (references) |
Iceland | In Reykjavik, the average temperature is 11°C (52°F) in July and -1°C (30°F) in January. (references) | |
Guinea | Sahelian Upper Guinea has a shorter rainy season and greater daily temperature variations. (references) | |
Travel | Cape Verde | Cape Verde has a dry, temperate climate with little temperature variation throughout the year. (references) |
New Zealand | Temperature extremes are generally confined to locales in the mountainous areas in the North and South Islands. (references) | |
Bolivia | In La Paz the average daytime temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the year, with temperatures dropping quite a bit after darkness falls. (references) | |
Worker Rights | United Arab Emirates | In addition manual workers are not required to work outdoors when the temperature exceeds 112 degrees Fahrenheit. (references) |
Kuwait | In August the official temperature was reported above 122 degrees Fahrenheit on several occasions, but work reportedly continued at many outdoor locations. (references) | |
Belarus | The high accident rate is due to a lack of protective clothing, shoes, equipment, nonobservance of temperature regulations, the use of outdated machinery, and inebriation on the job. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | ABDICATION, n. An act whereby a sovereign attests his sense of the high temperature of the throne. Poor Isabella's Dead, whose abdication Set all tongues wagging in the Spanish nation. For that performance 'twere unfair to scold her: She wisely left a throne too hot to hold her. To History she'll be no royal riddle -- Merely a plain parched pea that jumped the griddle. G.J. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Nobody cares about the temperature in Bozeman, not even the people in Bozeman. |
Robert Atkins | OK, then which I stop one of our first callers, you should really check your temperature to see if perhaps you don't have a sluggish thyroid because that may be the answer. |
Rush Limbaugh | The Iraqis tried playing that card in the death of Palestinian terrorist, Abu Nidal, who assumed room temperature under mysterious circumstances. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Temperature" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Temperature" is used about 4,374 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 4,374 | 2,240 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "temperature": absolute scale of temperature ♦ Absolute temperature ♦ accumulated temperature ♦ aerodrome reference temperature ♦ air temperature ♦ ambient temperature ♦ Animal temperature ♦ approximate absolute temperature scale ♦ automatic temperature control system ♦ basal body temperature ♦ basal body temperature method ♦ basal body temperature method of family planning ♦ be running a temperature ♦ blood temperature ♦ body core temperature ♦ body temperature ♦ Body Temperature Changes ♦ Body Temperature Regulation ♦ cabin air temperature indicator ♦ Celsius temperature ♦ Celsius temperature scale ♦ centigrade temperature scale ♦ colour temperature meter ♦ compensated temperature ♦ core temperature ♦ correlated color temperature ♦ correlated colour temperature ♦ critical temperature ♦ Curie temperature ♦ declared temperature ♦ deep body temperature ♦ dewpoint temperature ♦ entering wet bulb temperature ♦ evaporating temperature ♦ exhaust temperature indicator ♦ fall in temperature ♦ have a temperature ♦ high temperature ♦ horizontal temperature gradient ♦ internal temperature ♦ International Practical Temperature Scale of 1948 ♦ International Practical Temperature Scale of 1968 ♦ invariable temperature ♦ isobaric equivalent temperature ♦ kelvin temperature ♦ low temperature ♦ low temperature injury ♦ mean body temperature ♦ minimum temperature ♦ Néel temperature ♦ nacelle temperature indicator ♦ operating temperature ♦ outside air temperature ♦ reasonable temperature ♦ restoring temperature ♦ room temperature ♦ run a temperature ♦ runway air temperature ♦ sea level temperature ♦ shelter temperature ♦ skin temperature ♦ specific heat of a substance at any temperature ♦ standard temperature ♦ static air temperature ♦ subnormal temperature ♦ take one's temperature ♦ take smb.'s temperature ♦ temperature accountability ♦ temperature change ♦ temperature chart ♦ temperature conductivity ♦ temperature curve ♦ temperature extremes ♦ temperature field ♦ temperature gradient ♦ temperature inversion ♦ temperature lapse rate ♦ temperature monitor ♦ temperature of body cavities ♦ temperature plate ♦ temperature recorder ♦ temperature reduction ♦ temperature scale ♦ Temperature sense ♦ temperature stabilising period ♦ temperature unit ♦ the rise of the temperature ♦ thermodynamic temperature ♦ uniform temperature ♦ upper air temperature ♦ virtual temperature ♦ water temperature ♦ wet bulb temperature. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "temperature": temperature-a, temperature-and-time-dependent, temperature-composition, temperature-control, temperature-controlled, temperature-dependent, temperature-increasing, temperature-induced, temperature-insensitive-Hall-constant, temperature-produced, temperature-sensitive, temperature-sensitivity, temperature-tolerant, temperature-treated. | |
Ending with "temperature": high-temperature, time-temperature. | |
Containing "temperature": conductivity-temperature-depth, high-temperature hot water, positive-temperature-coefficient, pressure-temperature-time, room-temperature IQ. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "temperature"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | temperatuur. (various references) | |
Albanian | temperature, temperaturë (fever, heat), të nxehtë (heat), zjarrmi (Ardor, ardour, fervor, fervour, fever, fire, glow, heat), ethe (chill, fever, fire, shake). (various references) | |
Arabic | حرارة (cordiality, fever, geniality, glow, heat, warmth), شدة (adversity, exaltation, ferocity, harshness, hindrance, intensity, misery, need, rigor, solidity, strength, vehemence, violence, warmth), درجة حرارة الجسم, درجة الحرارة. (various references) | |
Asturian | temperatura. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | температурен (pyretic), температура (fever, heat). (various references) | |
Cebuano | temperatura. (various references) | |
Chamorro | graduha. (various references) | |
Chinese | 體溫 , 溫度 , 温度 (temp). (various references) | |
Cornish | tomder. (various references) | |
Czech | teplota (fever), horeèka (craze, fever). (various references) | |
Danish | temperatur. (various references) | |
Dutch | temperatuur (temp.). (various references) | |
Esperanto | temperaturo. (various references) | |
Faeroese | hitalag. (various references) | |
Finnish | lämpötila (thermodynamic temperature). (various references) | |
French | température. (various references) | |
Frisian | temperatuer. (various references) | |
German | Temperatur, fieber (ague, fever). (various references) | |
Greek | θερμοκρασία (melting point, thermodynamic temperature). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מדת החום, חום (dark, fever, heat, warmth), דרגת חום, טמפרטורה. (various references) | |
Hungarian | hőmérséklet. (various references) | |
Indonesian | suhu, panas (blisteringly, heat, hot, warm). (various references) | |
Inuktitut | uquuninga niklashukniga. (various references) | |
Italian | temperatura, febbre (ague, fever). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 臨界 (critical pressure, point, state), 熱量 , 熱度 (degree of heat, enthusiasm), 熱 (fever), 気温 , 温度 , 温度 , 体温 , 寒暖 (heat and cold). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | たいおん, おんど (marching songs, workmen's songs), きおん (fundamental tone, keynote), ねつど (degree of heat, enthusiasm), ねつりょう, ねつ (fever), かんだん (chat, constantly, continuously, heat and cold, idle talk, pleasant talk, quiet conversation). (various references) | |
Korean | 온도 (temp). (various references) | |
Macedonian | temperatura. (various references) | |
Manx | chiassid (hotness). (various references) | |
