Transcript: We all have an idea of the concepts of hot and cold, but what aspect of matter does temperature really measure? Temperature measures the microscopic motions of atoms or molecules in any substance. The higher the temperature, the faster the random microscopic motions. This is the scientific definition of temperature that applies on the microscopic scale and the macroscopic scale. Note however that thermal energy and temperature are not the same thing. A drop of boiling water has the same temperature as a cup of boiling water, but the cup of boiling water clearly has more thermal energy. Thermal energy has to do with the amount of material whereas temperature itself as a concept relates only to the microscopic motion of the atoms or molecules.