Temperature is a quantity that measures the thermal level or heat that a body possesses. Every substance in a certain state of aggregation (solid, liquid or gas), is made up of molecules that are in continuous movement. The sum of the energies of all the molecules in the body is known as thermal energy; and temperature is the measure of that average energy or the property that sets the direction of heat flow.
What is temperature
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It is the magnitude that measures the amount of heat that an object, environment, and even a living being has. The temperature always goes from the body that has a higher degree to the one that has it lower. A body that is hot is said to have a higher thermal magnitude than a cold body. This magnitude is determined taking into account the fact that most bodies expand when heated.
Colloquially, there is a terminology called " room temperature ", which applies mostly to food, which means that it is not hot due to the action of cooking or mechanical heating, nor cold due to artificial freezing.
For bodies, this thermal magnitude is a property, which can be both boiling, melting, freezing, among others.
In chemistry
In chemistry, it represents the degree of circulation of the atoms and small fractions that make up a body: the greater the movement, the higher the temperature. In other words, it is the degree of energy that the object presents, manifested in the form of heat.
In this area of science, it is the property of a system that checks if it is in thermal equilibrium with another. In the same way, microscopically speaking, this degree of circulation will depend on the movement of its particles: if the amount of heat is increased in a quantity of water, the movement will increase and the particles will gain speed until they become gas; while if it is decreased, the particles will slow down until they freeze, consequently cooling.
In physics
In this area, it represents the magnitude that measures the kinetic energy of a thermodynamic system. Said energy is generated by the movements of the particles that make up said system.
This means that the greater the movement, the greater the magnitude of energy will be registered, since it and friction generate heat; and it will be absolute zero when the particles are not moving. So, thermodynamically speaking, kinetic energy is the average speed of the particles in the molecules.
The heat or cold that we can perceive in our body is usually related to the thermal sensation than to the real temperature. The thermal sensation is the reaction that the human body has to environmental conditions in terms of how hot or cold there is.
In geography
In this case it refers to an element that determines the climate in a certain place and season. This means that it quantifies the amount of heat energy that is in the air in that place.
This heat has its origin from the rays of the Sun, so it is due to the solar radiation that reaches our planet. It is reflected by the surface, being "bounced" into space, but the atmosphere makes them return to earth and remain there for a longer time, producing heat (greenhouse effect). In addition to this, the thermal magnitude will depend on factors such as the type of substrate in which the rays strike, the strength of the winds and their direction, the altitude, latitude, how far or near the next body of water is, among others.
The temperature of the earth is: minimum of about -89ºC, average of about 14.05ºC and maximum of about 56.7ºC.
Examples of temperature
There are many examples in everyday life for which this magnitude has a practical application. Among them we can highlight:
- The increase in heat in the body, which indicates that the person has a fever.
- The heat emitted by a radiator.
- An iron, whose high temperatures serve to smooth wrinkles in clothing.
- The heat that the fire emanates from a stove to cook food.
- The cold that an air conditioner emits to make the environment pleasant in hot climates.
- Sunlight, which emits heat.
- The heat radiated by an electric bulb or bulb.
- The physical states of water (solid, liquid, gaseous), which are determined by the thermal magnitude, whose values will vary according to the scale on which they are measured.
- The heat that an electrical, electronic, or even mechanical device emits due to displacement and use of energy.
- The heat that is produced in the body when doing physical exercises.
- The cold present in a refrigerator due to electrical and mechanical processes to cool food.
- The bodies or masses of water in the world that constantly receive the rays of the Sun, producing heat.
- When a doctor performs an analysis with the thermometer used in his patients for the detection of fever.
- The ice production process, when water solidifies when the thermal magnitude in it decreases.
- The heat that a campfire gives off in a camp or that emitted by a fireplace to keep the environment warm in mild weather.
- The heat you feel when you touch a pot or pan that was on the stove after cooking.
- When a chocolate melts when being in a warm environment or exposed to the sun's rays.
Temperature types
Body temperature
In living beings, the normal body temperature is about 37 ºC in an adult. In a baby it can vary between 36.5 and 37.5ºC.
According to the place where the living being is and the external temperature to which it is exposed, its temperature may vary, and if it exceeds the normal average when said being is sick, it is said that it has a fever (as a mechanism of defense of the organism to fight the origin of the infection). There is also a specific body temperature under certain conditions, which is the basal temperature, which is the one that occurs in the body after having slept for five hours.
Atmospheric temperature
In the atmosphere there are gases, thanks to which the earth has a pleasant temperature and suitable for life, among which is carbon dioxide or CO2. However, if the atmosphere is heavily loaded with these gases, the atmosphere will thicken and dense, making it harder for the sun's rays to find their way back into space. This will cause the radiation to remain for a longer time in the atmosphere, increasing the earth's temperature.
Thermal sensation
It is the response of the human body to the temperature of the environment and depends on the perception of it. This means that we may be exposed to 15º C in an environment with sun and without wind and feel a pleasant temperature, and also in the same 15º C under shade and with strong winds and feel a sharp cold.
Dry temperature
It is said that the dry temperature is the one measured in the air without taking into account elements such as wind, heat radiation or relative humidity in the environment.
Radiant temperature
It is one that is taken only from the thermal radiation emitted by the elements of the environment (the floor, ceiling, walls, objects, among others), canceling or leaving out the air temperature.
Humid temperature
It is the one that is taken into account from the amount of humidity in the air and the temperature that it generates.
Temperature scales
According to different scales, there are different types of temperature that are measured through thermometric magnitudes. Since the same scale is not used throughout the world, resources such as a temperature converter are available online to make the equivalence between one scale and another. There is more than one temperature formula for its conversion, which are:
- For the conversion from ºC to kelvin: K = ºC + 273.15
- For the conversion from kelvin to ºF: ºF = K x 1.8 -459.67
- For the conversion from ºF to ºC: ºC = (ºF - 32) / 1.8
- For the conversion from kelvin to ºF: ºF = K x 1.8 -459.67
But it is important to know in detail the most used scales:
Fahrenheit (ºF)
This scale was proposed by the German physicist and engineer Daniel Gabriel Farenheit (1686-1736). This amount provides that the freezing temperature of the water is 32 ° F and boiling is to 212º F. The interval between the two between the two points is divided into 180 equal parts, and each of these parts is one degree Fahrenheit.
Celsius (ºC)
It is the thermometric scale belonging to the International System of Units as a complementary unit. This scale, created by the Swedish physicist and astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744), takes the value of 0 for the freezing point of water and 100 for its boiling point. The interval between both values is divided into 100 equal parts and each one is called a degree Celsius or Centigrade.
Kelvin
Also called absolute scale, since it belongs to the International System of Units as its basic unit. It was created by the British physicist and mathematician William Thomson (1824-1907). For this scale, the theoretical absence of energy has a value of 0 (absolute zero).
The kelvin is the SI fundamental unit of temperature; is the absolute temperature scale. The term "absolute" means that zero on the Kelvin scale, denoted 0 K, is the lowest theoretical temperature that can be obtained.
Unlike the other scales of thermometric units, here it is not possible to speak of the amount of "degrees" as it was previously called, since its units are kelvins and do not have values lower than 0 as in the case of degrees Celsius.
5 instruments to measure temperature
There are several instruments that allow determining the heat that exists in a geographic space or a body and that have different mechanics. These devices work as a kind of temperature sensor. Some of them are:
- Mercury thermometer: this was developed by Daniel Gabriel Farenheit in 1714, and consists of a bulb from which a glass cylinder extends, inside which there is mercury in a smaller volume than the bulb. The cylinder is marked with different marks that represent degrees and mercury was used since it is an element sensitive to changes in temperature.
- Digital thermometer: these are the thermometers that work from transducer devices and electronic circuits to measure the different voltage intensities on a numerical scale, which are interpreted as temperature.
- Maximum and Minimum Thermometer: Also called Six's thermometer, this type of thermometer is used in meteorology and horticulture. It is characterized by simultaneously presenting the maximum and minimum temperature of the place where it is found through its two unit rods.
- Pyrometer: it is a device that consists of circuits, which can measure the heat present in a substance or object without direct contact between the device and said body. In the same way, any instrument capable of measuring temperature above 600ºC is often called that way. Its range goes from -50ºC to more than 4,000ºC. These types of devices are used to measure temperatures in incandescent metals in foundries or related.
- Thermohydrograph: this type of instrument, used in meteorology, is used to measure ambient temperature and relative humidity, and it does so simultaneously. This uses a bimetallic plate that will expand and contract according to the temperature variation that exists in the air.
At present, mercury has been replaced by other substances, because it also represents a danger to humans, animals and the environment. This is due to the toxic vapor that the substance emanates when the thermometer breaks, and in addition, it must be collected immediately before
other negative consequences are generated.
The electrical resistance of this device will vary according to the temperature, and they can present both the Celsius and the Fahrenheit scale. The disadvantage of this device is that it will work correctly according to the atmospheric conditions described by the manufacturer.
Said rods are filled with a liquid that runs through them according to temperature variations. The one on the left measures the minimum temperature and the right the maximum.
Mexico temperature
As there are varied climates within the Mexican territory, there are different temperatures according to the place you are talking about.
For example:
- Monterrey: between 18 and 25ºC.
- Saltillo: between 13 and 23ºC.
- Torreón: between 18 and 29ºC.
- Mexico City or Mexico DF: between 13 and 24ºC.
- Reynosa: between 22 and 29ºC.
- Hermosillo: between 11 and 23ºC.
- Guadalajara: between 15 and 29ºC.
- Tijuana: between 12 and 16ºC.
- Puebla: between 12 and 26ºC.
It should be noted that this varies from one moment to another and from one place to another. It is possible to know what is the average daily, monthly or annual temperature of a locality, and these are represented on maps or charts by means of lines called isotherms, which are those that join the points of the earth's surface that have the same temperature in a given moment. In this case, the averages are for the first quarter of the year.
There are pages on the internet where you can check the current temperature of the different locations both within the territory of Mexico and the rest of the world, with predictions in them. These tools are very useful if you plan a trip or outing.
