haya.Learning made clear
Temperature, heat and thermal equilibrium sheet
4-mark answer frame

Distinguish between heat and temperature. Explain thermal equilibrium with an example.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

  1. 1 · Define temperature. The degree of hotness or coldness of a body; SI unit kelvin; it decides the direction of heat flow.
  2. 2 · Define heat. Energy that flows from a hotter body to a colder body because of a temperature difference; SI unit joule.
  3. 3 · Write the differences.
    • Heat is a form of energy; temperature is a measure of hotness.
    • Heat: joule (or calorie); temperature: kelvin (or °C).
    • Heat flows from a higher temperature to a lower temperature.
  4. 4 · Explain thermal equilibrium. Hot and cold bodies in contact exchange heat until their temperatures are equal; then there is no net heat flow.
  5. 5 · Real-life link. A clinical thermometer under the tongue reaches thermal equilibrium with the body before it is read.
  6. 6 · Close in one line. Temperature decides where heat flows, and equal temperatures mean thermal equilibrium.

Scoring tip: Give the units of both quantities. One everyday example of thermal equilibrium, such as a thermometer or hot milk cooling, completes the answer.