Temperature
Every object, living or non‐living possesses certain physical properties. One of these properties is temperature, which determines whether the object is hot or cold. An object that is hot will have a higher temperature than an object that is cold. The heat of an object can be transferred to another object or can be released to the surrounding air in order to achieve thermal equilibrium or a temperature equal to its surroundings. A cool object, on the other hand, absorbs heat.
This principle of heat transfer is not always true for all living things. Most living beings have an internal mechanism for regulating heat as a result of their physical structure and internal processes.
It may not seem like such a big thing, but temperature has an important role on earth. First, it is what keeps us alive by providing heat throughout the planet. The human body needs a warm enough environment in order to survive and thrive. Next, it holds together many of the objects we know and take for granted together. Something as simple as your shoes is reliant on temperature in order to stay intact. If the temperature gets too hot, your shoe may melt, too cold and it may crumble and break.
As the study of temperature progressed, scientists found ways to measure this physical property. Scales for measuring temperature were thought of and applied in order to better study the climate, the oceans, and other scientific endeavors. The scale often used by scientists for research is the Kelvin scale. It is a scale in which the concept of absolute zero is used. This scale is pretty complex however, and is reserved for much higher grade levels.
There are two common temperature scales that are used by many people. The most commonly used is the Celcius scale, which tells us that water freezes at zero degrees and boils at 100 degrees. The next most commonly used is the Fahrenheit scale which pegs water's freezing point at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and its boiling point at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. There is a simple formula that helps you convert Celcius to Fahrenheit and vice versa, but this will not be discussed now.
Along with the scales for determining temperature, instruments that help measure temperature were also invented. The most famous and most commonly used one is a thermometer. Its name literally meaning it will measure warmth. Like many old instruments, the thermometer has a long history, starting in Greece. There are also several types of thermometers, different in terms of the material used to make the instrument, as well as the temperature scale it uses for measurement. What is important to understand at this stage, though, is that a thermometer is an instrument that accurately measures temperature and it is used widely around the world.
Next Article: Make Your Own Thermometer
