What is energy?

Physicists, who are scientists who study force, motion and energy, say that energy is the
ability to do work, and work is moving something against a force, like gravity. There are
a lot of different kinds of energy in the universe, and that energy can do different things.

Energy can be found in many things, and takes many forms. There is a kind of energy
called kinetic energy in objects that are moving. There is something that scientists call
potential energy in objects at rest that will make them move if resistance is removed.

All forms of energy are associated with motion. For example, any given body has kinetic
energy if it is in motion. A tensioned device such as a bow or spring, though at rest, has
the potential for creating motion; it contains potential energy because of its
configuration. Similarly, nuclear energy is potential energy because it results from the
configuration of subatomic particles in the nucleus of an atom.

Energy can be neither created nor destroyed but only changed from one form to another.
This principle is known as the conservation of energy or the first law of
thermodynamics. For example, when a box slides down a hill, the potential energy that
the box has from being located high up on the slope is converted to kinetic energy,
energy of motion. As the box slows to a stop through friction, the kinetic energy from
the box’s motion is converted to thermal energy that heats the box and the slope.

Energy can be converted from one form to another in various other ways. Usable
mechanical or electrical energy is, for instance, produced by many kinds of devices,
including fuel-burning heat engines, generators, batteries, fuel cells, and
magnetohydrodynamic systems.

In the International System of Units (SI), energy is measured in joules. One joule is
equal to the work done by a one-newton force acting over a one-metre distance.

Types of energy
Potential energy is the energy held by an object because of its position relative to other
objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors
Common types of potential energy include the gravitational potential energy of an object
that depends on its mass and its distance from the center of mass of another object, the
elastic potential energy of an extended spring, and the electric potential energy of an
 electric charge in an electric field. The unit for energy in the International System of
Units (SI) is the joule, which has the symbol J.
Thermal Energy (Heat Energy)
 All matter is made up of particles that are constantly moving; therefore all matter
has kinetic energy.
 At higher temperatures, particles move faster, thus having more kinetic
energy and greater thermal energy.
 Particles that are further apart have more energy than particles that are
closer together.
 Thermal energy also depends on the number of particles.
 Ex: Steam has more energy than an ice cube and the ocean; but the ocean
has the most thermal energy because it contains the most particles.
Chemical Energy
 The energy of a compound that changes as its atoms are arranged to form new
compounds
 Molecules that have a lot of bonds between atoms tend to have a lot of chemical
energy- gasoline. iii.
Ex: 1. When wood burns, the chemical energy stored in the wood is used to heat the
house. 2. When you eat a marshmallow, chemical energy stored in the sugar molecules
becomes available for you to use.
Electrical Energy
 The energy of moving electrons
 The electrical energy produced by electrons moving (120 times per second) is
used to do work.
 Generators rotate magnets within coils of wire to produce electrical energy.
 Electrical energy can be considered both potential energy (because the magnet is
changing position) and kinetic energy (because the electrons are moving).
Sound Energy
 Caused by an object’s vibration
 A form of potential and kinetic energy
 To make an object vibrate, work must be done to change its position. a.
Ex: When you pluck and release a guitar string; when the guitar string
moves back to its original position, it has kinetic energy.
 Light Energy
 Produced by the vibrations of electrically charged particles
 Can be transmitted through a vacuum (a space without matter)
 The energy used to cook food in the microwave
Nuclear Energy (Atomic Energy)
 The energy associated with changes in the nucleus of an atom
 Produced 2 ways: 1. When 2 or more nuclei join together 2. When the nucleus of
an atom split apart
 In the sun, hydrogen nuclei join together to make a larger helium nucleus. This
reaction releases a huge amount of energy, which allows the sun to light and heat
the Earth.
 The nuclei of some atoms, such as Uranium, store a lot of potential energy. When
work is done to split these nuclei apart, energy is released. This nuclear energy is
used to generate electrical energy, which will run nuclear power plants.
Friction
 A force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are touching
 Due to friction, not all of the cars’ potential energy on a roller coaster is
converted into kinetic energy as the cars go down the first hill. It is also
converted to thermal and sound energy! In addition, not all of the cars’
kinetic energy is converted into potential energy as the cars go up the
second hill.
Law of Conservation of Energy
 Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
 Energy can be changed from one form to another, but all the different
forms of energy in a system always add up to the same total amount of
energy, no matter how many energy conversions occur.
Conversions Involving Electrical Energy
 Can be easily converted into other forms of energy
 When you turn on a light bulb, you convert electrical energy into light energy and
thermal energy.
 Microphone: sound energy electrical energy
 Alarm clock: electrical energy light and sound energy
 Battery: chemical energy electrical energy
 Blender: electrical energy kinetic and sound energy
 Iron: electrical energy thermal energy

Forms of energy – Hebert west 2008