[Physics] The difference between heat and temperature

temperaturethermodynamics

So as I understand it, heat energy of an object is the SUM of all the kinetic
energies of the molecules of the object (up to constant factor).

The temperature on the other hand is the AVERAGE of the kinetic energies of all
the molecules of the object.

Now when ice is melting at $0\,^\mathrm o$C, the temperature as measured on a
thermometer does not go up.

The common explanation is that any heat being absorbed by the ice is being
used to break the somewhat strong solid bonds between the molecules of the
ice.

Here is my question. If heat of an object is what I defined above, then since
all the molecules are increasing in kinetic energy, the average of the kinetic energy should also increase, meaning the temperature should increase. But at
$0\,^\mathrm o$C for ice that does not seem to be the case.

Where am I going wrong in my understanding?

Best Answer

Heat is not a property of a system. Heat is a process function. Temperature is a property of a system because is a state function. For instance, the state of a simple gas is given by temperature, pressure, and composition $(T,p,N)$.

Temperature is defined as the inverse ratio of variation of entropy $S$ to changes in internal energy $U$ $$T \equiv \left( \frac{\partial S}{\partial U} \right)^{-1}$$ This is the thermodynamic concept of temperature, which is more general than the kinetic concept that you are considering. Regarding your question, part of the energy given as heat is used to break the bonds and when are broken if you continue supplying energy this will increase the kinetic energy of the molecules.

Moreover, kinetic temperature is not the average of the kinetic energies of all the molecules of the object. This average of kinetic energies is the average kinetic energy. The kinetic temperature is defined as $2/3$ the average internal energy per number density.

At the other hand, heat $Q$ is defined for a given process as the internal energy interchanged which is neither work nor due to flow of matter $$Q \equiv \Delta U - W - U_{matter}$$ Notice that internal energy is a state function and $\Delta U$ denotes the difference between the initial and final energies, but heat is not a state function and this is why we write $Q$ instead of an incorrect $\Delta Q$.

The concept of process function is most easily understood with the example of a lake. A lake has some amount of water, and this can change by evaporation and raining. You can count the amount of water added to the lake by some raining process, but the lake itself does not have any amount of "raining" or evaporation" only some amount of water. Similarly a thermodynamic system has internal energy but has not heat or work.