Heat energy (or just heat) is a form of energy which transfers among particles in a

substance (or system) by means of kinetic energy of those particle. In other words,
under kinetic theory, the heat is transferred by particles bouncing into each other.

There is a fundamental difference between temperature and heat. Heat is the

amount of energy in a system. The SI units for heat are Joules. A Joule is a Newton
times a meter. A Newton is a kilogram-meter per second squared. Heat is
transferred through radiation, conduction and convection. The amount that
molecules are vibrating, rotating or moving is a direct function of the heat content.
Energy is transported by conduction as molecules vibrate, rotate and/or collide into
each other. Heat is moved along similar to dominos knocking down their neighbors
in a chain reaction. An increase of electromagnetic radiation into a system causes
the molecules to vibrate, rotate and/or move faster. With convection, higher energy
molecules are mixed with lower energy molecules. When higher energy molecules
are mixed with lower energy molecules the molecular motion will come into
equilibrium over time. The faster moving molecules will slow down and the slow
moving molecules will speed up.

Temperature is the MEASURE of the AVERAGE molecular motions in a system and

simply has units of (degrees F, degrees C, or K). Notice that one primary difference
between heat and temperature is that heat has units of Joules and temperature has
units of (degrees F, degrees C, or K). Another primary difference is that energy can
be transported without the temperature of a substance changing (e.g. latent heat,
ice water remains at the freezing point even as energy is brought into the ice water
to melt more ice). But, as a general statement (ignoring latent heat), as heat energy
increases, the temperature will increase. If molecules increase in vibration, rotation
or forward motion and pass that energy to neighboring molecules, the measured
temperature of the system will increase.

Think about using an electric kettle.

If you put a little water in it and boil it it goes to 100C quickly.

Fill it full and it takes longer to boil.

in both cases the temperature is the same; but the full kettle has more heat, and
you can tell because it takes more electricity to make it boil. The amount of heat
depends on the amount of mass. The temperature doesnt.

Knowing the difference between heat and temperature is important if one is to have
a clear understanding of energy.Often the concepts of heat and temperature are
thought to be the same, but they are not.
 Perhaps the reason the two are usually and incorrectly thought to be the same is
because as human beings on Earth everyday experience leads us to notice that
when you heat something up, say like putting a pot of water on the stove, then the
temperature of that something goes up. More heat, more temperature - they must
be the same, right? Turns out, though, this is not true.

Temperature is a number that is related to the average kinetic energy of the

molecules of a substance. If temperature is measured in Kelvin degrees, then this
number is directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of the molecules.

Heat is a measurement of the total energy in a substance. That total energy is

made up of not only of the kinetic energies of the molecules of the substance, but
total energy is also made up of the potential energies of the molecules.

So, temperature is not energy. It is, though, a number that relates to one type of
energy possessed by the molecules of a substance. Temperature directly relates to
the kinetic energy of the molecules. The molecules have another type of energy
besides kinetic, however; they have potential energy, also. Temperature readings do
not tell you anything directly about this potential energy.

Temperature can be measured in a variety of units. If you measure it in degrees

Kelvin, then the temperature value is directly proportional to the average kinetic
energy of the molecules in the substance. Notice we did not say that temperature is
the kinetic energy. We said it is a number, if in degrees Kelvin, is proportional to the
average kinetic energies of the molecules; that is, if you double the Kelvin
temperature of a substance, you double the average kinetic energy of its molecules.

Heat is energy.

Heat is the total amount of energy possessed by the molecules in a piece of matter.
This energy is both kinetic energy and potential energy.

When heat, (i. e., energy), goes into a substance one of two things can happen:
 1. The substance can experience a raise in temperature. That is, the heat can be
used to speed up the molecules of the substance. Since Kelvin temperature is
directly proportional to the average kinetic energy of molecules in a substance, an
factor increase in temperature causes an equal factor increase in the average
kinetic energy of the molecules. And if the kinetic energy of the molecules increase,
the speed of the molecules will increase, although these increases are not directly
proportional. The kinetic energy of a body is proportional to the square of the speed
of the body.

2. The substance can change state. For example, if the substance is ice, it can melt
into water. Perhaps surprisingly, this change does not cause a raise in temperature.
The moment before melting the average kinetic energy of the ice molecules is the
same as the average kinetic energy of the water molecules a moment after melting.
Although heat is absorbed by this change of state, the absorbed energy is not used
to speed up the molecules. The energy is used to change the bonding between the
molecules. Changing the manner in which the molecules bond to one another
constitutes a change in potential energy. Heat comes in and there is an increase in
the potential energy of the molecules. Their kinetic energy remains unchanged.

So, when heat comes into a substance, energy comes into a substance. That
energy can be used to increase the kinetic energy of the molecules, which would
cause an increase in temperature. Or that heat could be used to increase the
potential energy of the molecules causing a change in state that is not accompanied
by an increase in temperature