From Peter de Lacey
Chris Seline makes a common mistake in saying, “Isn’t the temperature of a material defined by the kinetic energy of the particles in it?” (3 July, p 31). No, it isn’t. The temperature depends on the average random kinetic energy of the particles. An electric current in a perfect conductor is ordered, not random, so the kinetic energy of the electrons does not contribute to the temperature.
Lynwood, Western Australia
