Our body's interpretation of hot and cold instinctively alerts us to the existence of temperature differences and gives us some sense of the concept of heat. Heat—the energy that is transferred from one object to another because of a difference in temperature—is a critical part of our lives even when we are not aware of it, from the melting of ice to the functioning of an engine. This comprehensive volume examines heat and the related concepts of temperature, thermal energy, and thermodynamics and introduces readers to some of the great minds that furthered our understanding of this fundamental area of physics.