What term is used to describe the energy associated with the random movement of atoms or molecules?

The term that describes the energy associated with the random movement of atoms or molecules is thermal energy. This type of energy is a manifestation of the microscopic kinetic energy of particles; as atoms and molecules vibrate and move randomly, they exhibit thermal energy.

In a substance, higher thermal energy corresponds to higher temperatures, as more energetic particles move more rapidly. Thermal energy is crucial in various biological processes since it influences reactions, the behavior of molecules, and the overall temperature of organisms and their environments.

While kinetic energy refers to the energy of motion more generally, it does not specifically address the random movements at the atomic or molecular level. Potential energy relates to the stored energy within a system, such as chemical energy within bonds, and nuclear energy pertains to the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. Thus, thermal energy is the most precise term for the energy attributed to molecular motion.