Temperature vs. Heat
In other words, heat and temperature are not the same thing, although both are concerned with thermal energy.
Heat: The heat an object contains is the amount of its thermal energy, measured in joules or J.
Temperature: The temperature of an object is to do with how hot or cold it is, measured in degrees Celsius. Note that the unit of temperature is written as °C, (not °c or oC). We measure temperature using a thermometer.
Let's look at two examples to see the difference between heat and temperature.
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Example 1: A swimming pool at 30°C is at a lower temperature than a cup of coffee at 80°C. But the swimming pool contains more water, so it stores more thermal energy than the cup of coffee.
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Example 2: To boil water we must increase its temperature to 100°C. It takes longer to boil a large beaker of water than a small beaker because the large beaker contains more water and needs more thermal energy to reach 100°C.
