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Heat and Temperature

Dauerausstellung

Heat and Temperature

What is the difference between heat and temperature? How reliable is our perception of temperature? How hot is light? And: is it possible to see heat?

Understanding and Using Heat

Test how reliably you perceive hot and cold, and try out our infrared camera.

Heat

Our skin is covered with special nerve endings that transmit a clear thermal sensation when we come into contact with different substances. That is why things feel cold, warm, or hot. Human beings are able to detect tiny differences in temperature. However, they cannot measure temperature precisely.

A screen shows two people in a portrait. They are depicted in different colors and shades of gray that correspond to the distribution of heat. On the right side of the image is a color scale that indicates which color corresponds to which temperature. The person on the left is slightly taller and has her arm around the shoulder of the person on the right. Together, the two people form a heart with their free hands.
The thermal camera displays people and objects as a thermal image. SDTB/ Photo: C. Kirchner 1/1

Temperature

Heat can be measured by physical methods. The result, temperature, can then be compared to other measurements. Insights into the relationship between temperature, heat, and the conversion of energy are important for understanding everyday phenomena like weather. In addition, they have played, and will continue to play, a significant role in the development of many scientific and technological applications.