Question

What are the similarities and differences between temperature and thermal energy?

Answer 1

Temperature is a physical property that describes the average kinetic energy of particles in a macroscopic environment that is in thermodynamic equilibrium. It is a physical property that evaluates the definitions of hot and cold. Thermal energy is the overall kinetic energy of a system's structural components (which are its atoms, ions, and charged particles). It is a kind of energy that is linked to the movement of the system's structural components.

Complete answer:
Temperature and thermal energy are related terms and are often encountered while talking about the heat produced in a body. The similarities between temperature and thermal energy are:
- Both terms refer to physical quantities.
- Temperature and thermal energy are thermodynamic state functions.

The differences between temperature and thermal energy are:
- Temperature is the average kinetic energy of a system's structural components which include its atoms, molecules, and charged particles.
- On the other hand, Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of a system's structural components.
- The values of temperatures can be positive and negative. Whereas the values of thermal energies are always positive.
- The temperature is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the particles, not the quantity of the material. Thermal energy, on the other hand, is proportional to the overall kinetic energy of the particles and is dependent on the quantity of the matter.

Note: Temperature is a physical property that evaluates the definitions of hot and cold. Thermal energy is a kind of energy that is linked to the movement of the system's structural components. Two systems with the same temperature but different thermal energies can exist.