Add Quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson
“Note, however, that you cannot simply add temperatures the way you can add volumes or weights. Two people in bed, each with body temperatures of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, do not normally create a 197.2 degree under-the-cover oven.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, 2014
Adding temperatures directly is scientifically incorrect because temperature is an intensive property, not additive like volume or weight.
In simple terms: Temperatures don’t add up like volumes.
Key Takeaway
Remember temperature is a measure of average kinetic energy, not a sum.
Themes
science
physics
misconceptions
Mood
curious
analytical
Type
educational
explanatory
When to use this quote
- calculating heat transfer
- educational videos
- lab experiments
- climate modeling
Key Concepts
thermodynamics
intensive vs extensive properties
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you correctly combine temperatures of different bodies?
- When might averaging temperature be misleading?
A Different Perspective
Simple addition works only for extensive properties; temperature requires averaging.
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
