When two objects at different temperatures come into contact, energy is transferred from the warmer object to the cooler object via three methods: conduction, convection, or radiation. The temperature of an object depends on the average kinetic energy of its particles - the more energy the particles have from their motion, the higher the temperature. While temperature measures average kinetic energy, thermal energy refers to the total kinetic energy of all the particles in a substance. Energy can change forms through conversions, but the total amount of energy in a system remains constant according to the law of conservation of energy.