Examples of thermal energy

Answer 1

When you rub your hand together really fast. Do your hand feel warmer after rubbing them together? That's because the particles in your hand run into each other run into each other and pass energy back and forth, which increases heat. When particle in an object run into each other, thermal energy is passed between the particle.

Another Answer

The term, 'thermal energy' is obsolete, having been replaced by the term, 'internal energy'. Internal energy is the sum total of all the energies due to the vibration of the atoms/molecules that make up any object. Internal energy is closely related to temperature and state. The higher the temperature of an object, the higher its internal energy. When a substance exists in two states at the same temperature, e.g. ice and water, the higher state (water, in this example) will have the higher internal energy.

When an electric current passes through the heating element of a kettle, it does work on the water and the kettle. By 'work', we mean the process of converting one form of energy (e.g. electrical energy) into another form of energy (e.g. internal energy). When the electrical energy is converted into internal energy, the existing internal energy of the water/kettle increases, causing the temperature of the water/kettle to increase. The resulting temperature difference between the kettle and the surrounding air results in a loss of internal energy by the process of heat transfer away from the kettle.

Answer 2

electric heaters