Question

The temperature of a body is an indicator of:
A. The total energy of the molecules of an object
B. The average energy of the molecule of an object
C. The total velocity of the molecules of an object
D. The average kinetic energy of the molecule of an object

Answer 1

When the temperature of a body is increased, or a body is heated then its molecules start to vibrate with a higher velocity which leads to an increase in the average kinetic energy of the molecules as a whole. This leads to an increase in the temperature of the body.

Complete step by step answer:
We know that, $K = \dfrac{3}{2}\dfrac{R}{{{N_A}}}T$
The average kinetic energy of a molecule is directly proportional to the temperature of the body. When thermal energy is provided to a body, the molecule gains the energy and starts to vibrate and move apart. This increases the average kinetic energy since kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of its velocity.
$K = \dfrac{1}{2}m{v^2}$
Average kinetic energy increases the temperature of the body, and the body becomes hot. Hence we can say the temperature of a body is an indicator of the average kinetic energy of the molecule of an object.

So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note:
There might be confusion that the temperature of a body does depend upon the average energy of the molecule, but it is not true, it depends upon the kinetic energy of the molecule.