Temperature, Thermal Energy, and Heat
Remember that kinetic molecular theory explains that particles in matter are in constant motion. As you add energy those particles will move faster and seperate, remiove energy the particles will slow and come together. This how we explain the changes of state ...
SOLID -> LIQUID -> GAS
Matter (anything with mass and volume) has thermal energy due to the kinetic and potential energies of its particles.
Heat is the amount of thermal energy transferred from a warmer area to a cooler area. Heat transfer occurs by collisions between particles (conduction), the movement of fluids (inlcuding gas) (convection), or the movement of electromagnetic waves (radiation). Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy in a sample of matter. For example, a hot water has a higher temperature because the particles are moving faster and we feel the heat because the thermal energy is being transered from the hot water to our cooler hand. |
Thermal energy drives all processes on Earth, be it energy from the sun creating weather and climate or the energy from the Earth's core that drives the movements of techtonic plates