Temperature is an indirect measure of the kinetic energy of particles composing matter. The SI unit for temperature is the kelvin (K). There is no degree sign associated with the kelvin.

Kinetic-molecular theory asserts that temperature is a property of matter that results from molecule motion (kinetic energy) and/or atomic vibration. A common misconception is that at absolute zero (0 Kelvin), atomic and molecular motion ceases. In reality, although absolute zero represents the absence of kinetic energy, it represents only the absolute minimal state of molecular or atomic vibration (i.e., electrons still "orbit" the nucleus and nuclear processes including transformations are possible). Temperature is the size-independent quantity that indirectly relates the average kinetic energy of all the particles within a body. Its size-independence stems from the fact that two objects made of the same matter at the same temperature (i.e...