123,157 views
14 votes
14 votes
What is Thermal Energy?

User Taru
by
2.8k points

1 Answer

22 votes
22 votes
The term 'thermal energy' is used loosely in various contexts in physics and engineering. It can refer to several different well-defined physical concepts. These include the internal energy or enthalpy of a body of matter and radiation; heat, defined as a type of energy transfer (as is thermodynamic work); and the characteristic energy of a degree of freedom.
User Adam Pearce
by
2.3k points