Agree or disagree and write a paragraph defending your answer use evidence reasoning and an example to support your thinking on

Question

Thermal energy moves from matter with high kinetic energy to matter with lower kinetic energy

Answer 1

Agree. Thermal energy indeed moves from matter with high kinetic energy to matter with lower kinetic energy, a concept rooted in the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that heat energy will spontaneously flow from a hotter object (higher kinetic energy) to a cooler one (lower kinetic energy) until thermal equilibrium is reached. For example, consider a hot cup of coffee placed on a room-temperature table. The coffee, which has high thermal energy due to its elevated temperature, will transfer heat to the cooler table. This transfer causes the coffee to lose thermal energy and cool down, while the table absorbs that energy, slightly warming in the process. This phenomenon is observable in everyday life and supports the understanding that kinetic energy gradients drive thermal energy movement, reinforcing the fundamental principle that energy tends to flow from regions of high concentration to low concentration.