Final answer:
No, two steel blocks of different masses at the same temperature do not contain the same amount of thermal energy. The block with the greater mass will typically have more thermal energy, and in a model where particles are like billiard balls attached by springs, the block at a higher temperature has particles moving more vigorously.
Step-by-step explanation:
When two blocks of steel have the same mass and are at the same temperature, do they contain the same amount of thermal energy? The answer is no, primarily because the amount of thermal energy an object contains depends on both its mass and its specific heat capacity, as well as its temperature. A block with a larger mass at the same temperature will typically contain more thermal energy because there is simply more material to store this energy.
In the molecular model, where we compare particles to billiard balls connected by springs, the block with particles shaking more vigorously is at a higher temperature. When two blocks at different temperatures are brought into contact, the one with more vibrational energy (higher temperature) will transfer energy to the one with less vibrational energy (lower temperature) until they reach equilibrium. This is due to the conservation of momentum during collisions between particles, where particles from the warmer block will lose some of their kinetic energy to particles in the cooler block.