Question

Temperature is a measurement of degree of coldness or hotness of an object. The definition is based on
(a) Zeroth law of thermodynamics
(b) First law of thermodynamics
(c) Second law of thermodynamics
(d) Newton’s law of cooling

Answer 1

B) First law of thermodynamics

Answer 2

The answer is option (a). Zeroth law of thermodynamics states that 'If two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other'.

What does the above definition imply in relation to the measurement of hotness or coldness of a body? It implies that if you take a thermometer and place it near an object, then the thermometer and the object come at thermal equilibrium, that is, they have same temperatures after some time. So, the thermometer shows the temperature that it has and it actually has the temperature of the object. So, temperature measurement is actually a measurement of degree of hotness or coldness based on the zeroth law of thermodynamics.