Physics Lecture – Temperature
PHYSICS LECTURE – TEMPERATURE AND RELATED CONCEPTS
1. Temperature
Temperature is a measure of the degree of hotness or coldness of a body. It is a physical quantity that determines the direction of heat transfer between bodies.
Illustration:
Temperature gradient: Hot body 🔥 → Cold body ❄
2. Measurement of Temperature
Temperature is measured using:
- Liquid-in-glass thermometer: Mercury or alcohol in a glass tube expands with heat.
- Thermocouple: Junction of two different metals generates voltage depending on temperature.
- Resistance thermometer: Resistance of wire changes with temperature.
Liquid-in-glass thermometer:
|
| Mercury/Alcohol rises with heat ↑
|___________
3. Temperature and Gas Pressure
The pressure of a gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature if the volume is kept constant (Gay-Lussac’s law):
P ∝ T or P1/T1 = P2/T2
Pressure-Temperature relation:
Cylinder with piston: Heating → Gas molecules move faster → Pressure ↑
4. Pressure Laws
- Boyle’s Law: At constant temperature, P × V = constant
- Charles’ Law: At constant pressure, V ∝ T
- Gay-Lussac’s Law: At constant volume, P ∝ T
5. Thermometer and Thermocouple
- Thermometer measures temperature; liquid expands with heat.
- Thermocouple generates a voltage difference between two metals, giving temperature readings.
Thermocouple setup:
Metal A + Metal B → Junction → Voltage ∝ Temperature → Display
6. Molecular Expansion of Temperature
As temperature increases:
- Molecules vibrate faster.
- Solids expand (linear, area, volume expansion).
- Liquids expand (e.g., mercury in thermometers).
- Gases expand and pressure rises if volume is fixed.
Linear Expansion:
|---------| → |---------| (length increases)
Material expands with heat
7. Summary
- Temperature measures hotness/coldness.
- Thermometers and thermocouples are primary instruments.
- Pressure of gases rises with temperature (Pressure Law).
- Molecular expansion explains solids, liquids, gases behavior on heating.