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QPage 11: Q2: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Heat and Temperature Page 11: Q2 Solution: Does the temperature of a body depend on the frame from which…

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often confuse temperature with total kinetic energy, mistakenly assuming that a moving frame adds bulk velocity to molecules and thus increases temperature. Remember that temperature depends only on the average random kinetic energy relative to the center of mass, which remains invariant under Galilean transformations.

Does the temperature of a body depend on the frame from which it is observed?

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**Answer:** No, the temperature of a body does not depend on the observer's frame (in the classical limit). **Step-by-Step Explanation:** Temperature is a measure of the average random kinetic energy of molecules. The random motion is independent of the uniform translational motion of the frame. Therefore, the temperature is the same in all inertial frames moving at speeds much less than cc. (In relativistic thermodynamics, the concept is more subtle, but for ordinary speeds the temperature is frame-independent.)

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