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Temperature - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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Temperature is a measure of how hot or cold something is. It tells us how much energy the particles in a substance have. When particles have more energy, they move faster, and the temperature is higher. When particles have less energy, they move slower, and the temperature is lower. We usually measure temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) in the UK, using a thermometer. Understanding temperature helps us explain changes in states of matter, like why ice melts into water when it gets warmer.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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