Thermal Energy And Matter
About it....
The main source of thermal energy is the sun, the huge thermo-nuclear furnace that supplies the earth with the heat and light that are needed to life. The nuclear fusion in the sun increases the sun's thermal energy. Once the thermal energy leaves the sun in the form of radiation it is called heat. Heat is thermal energy in transfer. Thermal energy is part of the overall internal energy of a system.At a more basic level, thermal energy comes form the movement of atoms and molecules in matter. It is a form of kinetic energy produced from the random movements of those molecules. Thermal energy of a system can be increased or decreased.When you put your hand over a hot stove you can feel the heat. You are feeling thermal energy in transfer. The atoms and molecules in the metal of the burner are moving very rapidly because the electrical energy from the wall outlet has increased the thermal energy in the burner. We all know what happens when we rub our hands together. Our mechanical energy increases the thermal energy content of the atoms in our hands and skin.