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