Thermal Energy

Thermal energy is another name for heat energy. Everything is made of tiny bits called atoms that are always moving. The faster they move, the more thermal energy something has. Hot things have more thermal energy than cold things.

What Makes Things Hot

Inside every object, tiny particles are moving around. When you heat something up, the particles move faster. This makes the object feel warm or hot. When particles slow down, the object cools off. A cup of hot cocoa has fast-moving particles.

How Heat Travels

Thermal energy can move from one place to another. It moves from hot things to cold things. That is why a metal spoon in soup gets warm. Heat can travel through solids, liquids, gases, and even empty space. The sun sends heat to Earth across millions of miles.

Fun Facts

• The sun's thermal energy keeps our whole planet warm.
• Metal feels colder than wood because it pulls heat from your hand faster.
• Even ice has some thermal energy, just not very much.

Did You Know?

The coldest possible temperature is called absolute zero. At that point, particles would stop moving completely.