Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Does anyone know where the misconception that hot and cold are different came from, I know that cold is just the absence of heat but where did it start?

Hello and welcome to the forum:

You ask an interesting question, but I think it's a philosophy question, not a physics one If you want to know more about the physics of heat transfer, Wikipedia is a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat
If you are planning on doing an experiment with heat, check out Science Buddies project ideas. There's one specifically about heat transfer: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p044.shtml

Happy experimenting!
Keith

Thanks for trying but it was not what I was looking for.

I think your question deals with the definition of temperature. Temperature is a numerical measure of average kinetic energy of the molecules.

If a "hot" object is placed in thermal contact with a "cold" one, there will be transfer of heat from the hot to the cold one until they are in thermal equilibrium, where no more net heat is exchanged. By definition, two things are at the same temperature if they are in thermodynamic equilibrium. In other words, since a "hot" and "cold" object are not in thermodynamic equilibrium, they are at a different temperature.

I am having trouble understanding your question. It would be helpful if you could explain what you mean by "misconception" that hot and cold are different. Maybe you are referring to the fact that "hot" and "cold" are relative terms? Water at 40 degrees C can feel hot compared to ice water, but can also feel cold compared to boiling water.

Also, "heat" is actually a term to describe a process, or a transfer of energy between objects due to a temperature difference alone. So it would not really be correct to say something is cold because it has no heat.

I hope this clarifies some terms.