Two bath towels have the same temperature but different masses. Which towel has more thermal energy?
the bath towel with less mass the bath towel with more mass
The objects are made of the same type of matter.
Matter is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are always moving.
The energy of moving atoms is called thermal energy. The total amount of thermal energy in matter depends on three things: the type of matter, the amount of matter, and how fast the atoms are moving.
Temperature measures how hot or cold matter is. If the atoms in matter move faster, the temperature goes up. The matter now has both more thermal energy and a higher temperature.
What happens if the amount of matter changes? A 2-kilogram brick at 70°F has twice as much thermal energy as a 1-kilogram brick at 70°F. The two bricks have the same temperature, but the larger brick has twice as many atoms. So, it has twice as much thermal energy.
The two bath towels have the same temperature and are made of the same type of matter. So, the bath towel with more mass has more thermal energy.