What temperature is

You have often heard the daily weather report say that the lowest temperature of the day was recorded at Nuwara Eliya and the highest at Trincomalee.

Washed clothes dry quickly on hot, sunny days and slowly on dark, rainy ones. Ice cream feels cold and a cup of hot tea feels warm. In every one of these the physical quantity at work is temperature.

Temperature is a basic property of every substance and object. A block of ice has a very low temperature; boiling water is hotter than cold water. Our bodies have a temperature too, so by touch we can tell whether something is hotter or colder than we are.