What is the difference between Temperature and Thermal Energy?

Temperature and thermal energy are both related to kinetic energy of structural systems. These systems include protons, neutrons, atoms, and molecules. Temperature is the average of kinetic energy. Thermal energy is the total of the kinetic energy. Another difference between them is when it comes to values.

Temperature can either be positive or negative, but thermal energy will always be positive. Due to this, they are measured differently. Temperature is measured through either Fahrenheit, Celsius, or Kelvin.

Thermal energy is measured through Calorie or Joule. The last difference between them is how they depend on the quantity of the substance. Temperature does not depend on that, while thermal energy does.

Thermal energy includes all the kinetic energy of molecules in an object, while the temperature is a physical property that measures the average kinetic speed of molecules.

The thermal energy measures the mass of a substance. It depends on conduction and convention to create more movement for potential thermal energy to be produced.

Conductions are used to transfer energy from molecules to another molecule. The convention occurs when energy is transferred.

The speed of particles depends on the increased level of temperature when the temperature increase. The particles stay apart and move faster. However, when the temperature is low, the particles move slowly and closer.

The main difference between these two properties is that temperature measures the speed of movement, and thermal energy measures the mass of a substance.

Temperature is the average kinetic energy of all the particles that make up a system. It is used to measure the cold and heat of a system. The temperature of a system can be accurately measured by the use of a thermometer. The units of measurement of temperature are Kelvin, Celsius.

Also, Fahrenheit is used in some parts of the world, especially in the United States. On the other hand, thermal energy is the internal energy of a system. It is also the total kinetic energy of a system. The thermal energy of a system depends on the temperature of the system.

As the kinetic energy of a system increases, the thermal energy is also increasing. While temperature is measured in Kelvin, Fahrenheit, and Celsius, the unit of measurement of thermal energy is calorie or joule. The temperature of a system can have both negative and positive values. On the other hand, thermal energy is usually positive.