Question

What happens to the thermal energy of a mass if the average kinetic energy of its molecules goes up?

Answer 1

The thermal energy increases

Step-by-step explanation:

The thermal energy is the total energy contained in a substance due to the thermal motion of its molecules.

In particular, the thermal energy of a substance is directly proportional to:

- The mass of the substance (the more the mass, the more the thermal energy)

- The average kinetic energy of the molecules of the substance (which is directly proportional to the temperature of the substance)

Therefore, we can write:

`E_t \propto E_k`

where

`E_t` is the thermal energy of the substance

`E_k` is the average kinetic energy of the molecules

Therefore, we see that if the average kinetic energy of the molecules goes up, then the thermal energy increases as well.