Which object has less thermal energy?
a 200-gram glass of grape juice at a temperature of 20°C a 200-gram glass of grape juice at a temperature of 10°C
The objects are identical except for their temperatures.
All solids, liquids, and gases are made of matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles that are always moving. The energy from the motion of these particles is called thermal energy.
Temperature measures how hot or cold matter is. If the particles in matter slow down, the temperature goes down. The matter now has both less thermal energy and a lower temperature.
The two glasses of grape juice have the same mass but different temperatures. Since the 10°C glass of grape juice is colder than the 20°C glass of grape juice, it has less thermal energy.