Thermal energy
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The term "thermal energy" is used loosely in various contexts in physics and engineering, generally related to the kinetic energy of vibrating and colliding atoms in a substance. It can refer to several different physical concepts. These include the internal energy or enthalpy of a body of matter and radiation; heat, defined as a type of energy transfer ; and the characteristic energy of a degree of freedom, , in a system that is described in terms of its microscopic particulate constituents.
Thermal radiation in visible light can be seen on this hot metalwork, due to blackbody radiation.
Kinetic energy
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In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the form of energy that it possesses due to its motion.
The cars of a roller coaster reach their maximum kinetic energy when at the bottom of the path. When they start rising, the kinetic energy begins to be converted to gravitational potential energy. The sum of kinetic and potential energy in the system remains constant, ignoring losses to friction.
Image: Emilie Chatelet portrait by Latour