Vertikale Streifen in verschiedenen, dunklen Grüntönen. Unterbrochen von unterschiedlich breiten schwarzen Linien.

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.

 

Vier Bilder in einer Collage. Ein Bildschirm zeigt zwei Personen im Portrait. Sie sind in verschiedenen Farben und Graustufen dargestellt, die der Wärmeverteilung entsprechen. Rechts im Bild befindet sich eine Farbskala, die anzeigt, welche Farbe welcher Temperatur entspricht. Die Personen verändern von Bild zu Bild die Positionen ihrer Hände.
Die Thermokamera zeigt Menschen und Objekte im Wärmebild.
SDTB / C. Kirchner

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.

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.