Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in matter, with higher temperatures indicating particles moving faster and having more kinetic energy. Thermal energy is the total energy of particles in a material, including both kinetic and potential energy. Heat is thermal energy that flows from warmer materials to cooler ones, and can be measured in Joules, with different materials requiring different amounts of heat to change their temperature due to differences in their specific heat, or the energy needed to raise the temperature of a given mass.

1. Temperature and Heat

2. The words hot and cold are used to describe temperature. All moving things have kinetic energy. The faster particles move, the more kinetic energy it has.

3. Temperature- a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter. -As particles move faster, their kinetic energy increases. This causes the temperature to increase.

4. Thermal energy- total energy of the particles in a material. -This includes kinetic and potential energy.

5. Heat- thermal energy that flows from something with high temperature to something with a lower temperature. -In most cases, heat flows from warmer to cooler materials. Heat is also measured in Joules.

6. Different materials need different amounts of heat to produce similar changes in their temperatures. Specific Heat- the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of a material’s mass.