Final answer:
Equal volumes of helium and argon at the same temperature and pressure have the same average kinetic energy per particle, and hence, if the number of particles is the same, they would have the same thermal and internal energy. so, option 3 is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The amount of thermal energy a gas contains depends on factors like temperature, mass, and type of gas. The question is comparing the thermal energies of helium and argon. If we consider equal volumes of helium and argon at the same temperature and pressure, both gases, being noble gases, will have particles with the same average kinetic energy, as the kinetic energy of gas particles is dependent on temperature. However, internal energy, denoted as U, can be calculated for an ideal gas using the equation U = NkT, where N is the number of particles, k is Boltzmann's constant, and T is the temperature. Given that both gases would have the same temperature and an equal number of particles in equal volumes, their internal energies would also be the same.
The answer to the question does helium have more thermal energy, less thermal energy, or the same amount of thermal energy as argon is (3) Same amount of thermal energy, considering the conditions specified above.