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Temperature

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n. (1) The measured relative Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature scales and the absolute temperature, Kelvin; an indication of the degree hotness; average velocity of molecules; at absolute zero, 0°K, all motion in matter stops molecular velocity is zero; (2) The property of a substance which determines the direction of heat flow into or out of the substance; heat flows from a substance of higher temperature to one of lower temperature. The temperature of a substance measures the average kinetic energy of its particles. The fundamental temperature scale is now defined by means of the equation

where θ denotes the temperature; X the thermometric property (P, V, …); the subscript 3 refers to the triple point of water; and 273.16°K is the arbitrary fixed point for the temperature associated with the triple point of water. The ideal gas temperature θ (numerically equal to the Kelvin temperature) in particular, is defined by either of the two equations:

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  • Lide DR (ed) (2004) CRC Handbook of chemistry and physics. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

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© 2007 Springer-Verlag

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(2007). Temperature. In: Gooch, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Polymers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30160-0_11388

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