We model thermal energy as random particle vibrations, where added energy increases both kinetic and potential energy. For solids and liquids, particles oscillate in three dimensions, leading to six e...We model thermal energy as random particle vibrations, where added energy increases both kinetic and potential energy. For solids and liquids, particles oscillate in three dimensions, leading to six energy modes per particle. Equipartition of Energy ensures thermal energy distributes equally across modes. In gases, monatomic gases have only translational modes, while diatomic and polyatomic gases also have rotational and vibrational modes, affecting heat capacity.
