= Empirical temperature
{title2=$\theta$}
An empirical temperature labels classes of <thermal equilibrium> using a reproducible <thermometer> response. Equal labels express the <zeroth law of thermodynamics> comparison. A suitable continuous response and calibration let ordinary laboratory states be represented on a numerical scale; the abstract <equivalence relation> alone does not guarantee a useful real-valued coordinate. An <injective function> of the label preserves equality, so the <zeroth law of thermodynamics> alone fixes neither unit nor spacing. <Thermometer calibration> supplies a chosen response relation; <thermodynamic temperature> supplies the additional absolute-scale structure.
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