Temperature certainly has something to do with energy, but the two concepts are distinct. Here is an activity that will help reveal the differences:

Materials:

• Two identical plastic cups, called A and B (they don't actually need to be labelled)
• A container of hot water
• Two thermometers

Suppose we fill cup A almost full of hot water and fill cup B one-quarter full of hot water.	Predictions
*If we had warmed the water for these in separate pans on the stove, which would take longer? (Click on one of the choices to mark your opinion)	Cup A would take longer	About the same length of time	Cup B would take longer
*Which one do you think contains the most energy?	Cup A	They are the same	Cup B
*Predict: what will you find when you measure the temperatures of the water in the two cups?	Cup A is cooler	They are the same	Cup B is cooler
Now let's do the experiment. Fill cup A almost full of hot water; fill cup B one-quarter full of hot water.	Results
*Are the temperatures different?	Yes	Not very different	No, they are rather different
Wait a few minutes and measure the temperatures again.
*How do the temperatures compare now?	Cup A is cooler	They are the same	Cup B is cooler

All done?