How are particles moving in an object, even when the object is at rest?

Question

anonymous · Answer

@cakt07 @Luigi0210 @lululife @Destinymasha @radar

aaronq · Answer

particles (molecules, etc) are always moving because they have energy (converted from one form or another), but because their movements, and they themselves, are microscopic* we don't perceive them as so - it would be like trying to see people walking around from an airplane or further. Even if the molecules are trapped in a lattice, like water molecules in ice, and not moving they relative positions, these are still vibrating and rotating in place - like when you spin a basketball on your finger, it doesn't go anywhere yet it's still moving.  

*this term should really be $nano$scopic because very small molecules like water molecules are about 0.1 nm (1 nm = $1.0*10^{-9}m$), and using the term $micro$scopic implies that they're in the micron scale, which they are not ($1~\mu m=1.0*10^{-6}m$).

aaronq · Answer

if someone wants to elaborate please feel free to do so.