Final answer:
Mechanical energy includes both kinetic and potential energy and is related to whole objects or systems, while thermal energy is the random kinetic energy of particles within a material and is associated with its temperature.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between mechanical energy and thermal energy is primarily based on their definitions and characteristics. Mechanical energy is the energy that is possessed by an object due to its motion (kinetic energy) and its position (potential energy). Thermal energy, on the other hand, is associated with the random kinetic energy of the particles within a material, which is related to its temperature.
To answer the student's question, 'How is mechanical energy different from thermal energy?', the correct answer is:
C: mechanical energy is a property of whole objects, and thermal energy is a property of the particles that make up an object.
Mechanical energy includes both kinetic and potential energy and is applicable to whole objects or systems in movement and their position in a field (like a gravitational field). Thermal energy arises from the microscopic, random motion of particles, and is thus related to the temperature of the system and the internal kinetic energies of its particles.