Final answer:
Temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles in a system and is a measure of how 'hot' or 'cold' an object is. Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of particles' random motion, whereas internal energy includes both kinetic and potential energies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the question is b. Temperature. Temperature is defined as the average kinetic energy of particles in a system. It is a quantitative measure that indicates how 'hot' or 'cold' an object is based on the random motion and vibration of its atoms and molecules. When these particles move more rapidly, they possess higher average kinetic energy, and the object is perceived as being 'hotter.' Conversely, when they move with less energy, the object is 'cooler.' Thermal energy is another term related to the energy of the particles within a substance, and it pertains to the kinetic energy associated with these particles' random movements.
It is important to clarify, however, that thermal energy and temperature are not identical. Thermal energy refers to the total kinetic energy resulting from the random movements of all the particles in an object, while temperature, as mentioned earlier, relates to the average of this kinetic energy among the particles. Furthermore, internal energy is the sum of the kinetic and potential energies of the atoms and molecules making up a system, which includes thermal energy as one of its subcategories.