Final answer:
The lake has more thermal energy than the woman despite its lower temperature because the lake's considerable mass and high specific heat capacity allow it to store a significant amount of energy
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to thermal energy, where a woman with a body temperature of 98°F is swimming in a lake with water at 60°F. To answer which has more thermal energy, the woman or the lake, we should consider the concept of heat capacity. Heat capacity is dependent on both the mass and the chemical composition of a substance. Water, having a high specific heat, requires a large amount of energy to change temperature. Therefore, even though the lake is at a lower temperature than the woman, it has much more mass than her body. This means the lake has a larger heat capacity and thus more thermal energy overall.
On a similar note, when comparing large bodies of water like lakes to smaller ones, such as a swimming pool or a wading pool, the larger body has a significantly greater heat capacity. This allows the lake to store much more thermal energy than the human body, even at a lower temperature. So, the answer to the question is B. The lake has more thermal energy than the woman because the amount of thermal energy is not just determined by temperature, but also by the mass and specific heat capacity of the substance.