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Chemical Energy
Energy stored in the bonds between atoms in molecules is chemical energy.
Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. It is the energy that
holds these particles together. Examples are biomass, petroleum, natural gas and propane.
Chemical Energy - is really a form of potential energy and is the energy stored in food, gasoline
or chemical combinations.
Examples: Striking a match, combining vinegar and baking soda to form CO2 Gas, breaking
light sticks releases chemical energy.
Consider the ability of your body to do work. The glucose (blood sugar) in your body is
said to have "chemical energy" because the glucose releases energy when chemically
reacted (combusted) with oxygen. Your muscles use this energy to generate mechanical force
and also heat. Chemical energy is really a form of microscopic potential energy, which exists
because of the electric and magnetic forces of attraction exerted between the different parts of
each molecule - the same attractive forces involved in thermal vibrations. These parts get
rearranged in chemical reactions, releasing or adding to this potential energy.
All nonliving and living things, from automobiles to zebras, are made up of molecules. It takes
energy to make these molecules and hold them together. The energy stored in molecules is
called chemical potential energy. During combustion, bonds are broken and reformed creating
new products. The energy stored in gasoline is released by burning it (combustion). During
combustion, chemical bonds are broken and reformed (changing gasoline into byproducts such
as water and carbon dioxide) releasing energy. An airplane motor, for example, uses this
released energy to turn a propeller. There are many examples of chemical potential energy
being converted to kinetic energy to do work. The chemical energy in food is used by our
bodies to move. In a lighted firecracker chemical energy is used to make a loud sound and to
scatter pieces of the firecracker all over.
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is stored in the nucleus of an atom. The energy that holds the nucleus
together. The energy can be released when the nuclei are combined or split apart.
Atomic Energy - is produced when you split atoms. A tremendous amount of energy is released
when this happens.
Examples:Atomic bombs, nuclear power plants, nuclear submarines, and the sun.
The Sun, nuclear reactors, and the interior of the Earth, all have "nuclear reactions" as
the source of their energy, that is, reactions that involve changes in the structure of the
nuclei of atoms. In the Sun, hydrogen nuclei fuse (combine) together to make helium nuclei, in
a process called fusion, which releases energy. In a nuclear reactor, or in the interior of the
Earth, Uranium nuclei (and certain other heavy elements in the Earth's interior) split apart, in a
process called fission. If this didn't happen, the Earth's interior would have long gone cold! The
energy released by fission and fusion is not just a product of the potential energy released by
rearranging the nuclei. In fact, in both cases, fusion or fission, some of the matter making up the
nuclei is actually converted into energy. How can this be? The answer is that matter itself is a
form of energy! This concept involves one of the most famous formula's in physics, the formula,
E=mc2.
This formula was discovered by Einstein as part of his "Theory of Special Relativity". In simple
words, this formula means: The energy intrinsically stored in a piece of matter at rest
equals its mass times the speed of light squared.
A release of nuclear energy occurs when the nuclei of atoms are changed. Hydrogen and
uranium are two kinds of matter used to produce nuclear energy. In a nuclear reaction, the
tremendous binding energy inside a hydrogen or uranium nucleus is released.
Nuclear energy is released during atomic fission, when uranium nuclei are split. It is also
released during fusion, when hydrogen nuclei combine to form a helium nucleus. In fission and
fusion, nuclear energy produces thermal energy, which is given off as heat. Fission's heat is
used to generate electric power in hundreds of locations worldwide. The sun and other stars use
fusion to generate radiant and thermal energy. As stars give off energy, they lose mass.
Radiant Energy
Radiant energy is the electromagnetic energy that travels in transverses waves. Radiant energy
includes visible light, x-rays, gamma rays and radio waves. Light is one type of radiant energy.
Solar energy is an example of radiant energy.
Radiant Energy - is a combination of heat and light energy. Light energy, like sound energy,
travels out in all directions in waves.
Examples: A light bulb, the glowing coils on a toaster, the sun, and even headlights on cars.
Atoms absorb energy from an outside source and release (or "emit") this energy as
electromagnetic radiation. This radiation can be in the form of waves of many different
wavelengths or frequencies.
Many energy sources emit radiant energy. The sun and other stars are luminous or "lightgiving" objects that produce radiant energy from nuclear reactions. Luminescence may result
from biological processes (e.g., fireflies), from chemical reactions like burning kerosene in a
lamp, from friction, or from electricity, as in a light bulb.
Visible light is electromagnetic energy emitted at wavelengths our eyes can see.
Electromagnetic energy emitted at wavelengths we cannot see may take the form of infrared
radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, gamma rays, and radio waves. Gamma rays have
wavelengths much shorter than visible light. Radio waves are the opposite. Their frequencies
are far longer than the longest waves our eyes can see.
Thermal Energy
Thermal energy is the internal energy in substances. The vibration and movement of the atoms
and molecules within substances. Geothermal energy is an example of thermal energy.
When you feel a warm object, you are actually feeling thermal energy, which is the movement
of molecules that make up the object. All objects possess thermal energy (even cold ones) since
they have a temperature above absolute zero. Evidence of thermal energy can be detected by
measuring the temperature of an object.
Although technically incorrect, the word heat is often used to mean thermal energy. A way to
think about this distinction is objects possess thermal energy, while heat is transferred from one
object to another.
Consider a hot cup of coffee. The coffee is said to possess "thermal energy", or "heat
energy" which is really the collective, microscopic, kinetic and potential energy of the
molecules in the coffee (the molecules have kinetic energy because they are moving and
vibrating, and they have potential energy due their mutual attraction for one another much the same way that the book and the Earth have potential energy because they
attract each other). Temperature is really a measure of how much thermal energy something
has. The higher the temperature, the faster the molecules are moving around and/or vibrating,
i.e. the more kinetic and potential energy the molecules have.
Thermal energy is the energy a substance or system has related to its temperature, i.e., the
energy of moving or vibrating molecules. Atoms and molecules, the smallest particles of any
substance, are always in motion. The motion of thermal energy is usually not visible, but we
can feel or see its effects. We use thermal energy to cook our food and heat our homes, and we
use it to generate electricity.
Thermal energy is not the same as heat. Heat is energy transferred between substances or
systems due to a temperature difference between them. So it is correct to say that a system
contains thermal energy, but not that it "contains" heat, since heat means energy that is
transferred from one thing to another.
Sound
Sound energy is the movement of energy through substances in longitudinal waves. Sound is
produced when a force causes an object or substance to vibrate. The energy is transferred
through the substance in a wave.
Sound Energy- is produced when an object is made to vibrate. Sound energy travels out as
waves in all directions. Sound needs a medium to travel through, such as air, water, wood, and
even metal!
Examples: Voices, whistles, horns and musical instruments
Sound waves are compression waves associated with the potential and kinetic energy of air
molecules. When an object moves quickly, for example the head of drum, it compresses the air
nearby, giving that air potential energy. That air then expands, transforming the potential energy
into kinetic energy (moving air). The moving air then pushes on and compresses other air, and
so on down the chain. A nice way to think of sound waves is as "shimmering air".
Electrical Energy
Electrical energy is the movement of electrical charges. Everything is made of tiny particles
called atoms. Electrical charges moving through a wire is called electricity. Lighting is an
example of electrical energy.
Electrical Energy - Energy produced by electrons moving through a substance is known as
electrical energy. We mostly see electric energy in batteries and from the outlets in our homes.
Electrical energy lights our homes, run motors, and makers our TVs and radios work.
Examples: CD players, TVs and Video games.
All matter is made up of atoms, and atoms are made up of smaller particles, called protons
(which have positive charge), neutrons (which have neutral charge), and electrons (which are
negatively charged). Electrons orbit around the center, or nucleus, of atoms, just like the moon
orbits the earth. The nucleus is made up of neutrons and protons.
Electrical energy is the energy carried by moving electrons in an electric conductor. It cannot
be seen, but it is one of our most useful forms of energy because it is relatively easy to transmit
and use.
All matter consists of atoms, and every atom contains one or more electrons, which are always
moving. When electrons are forced along a path in a conducting substance such as a wire, the
result is energy called electricity.
Electrical generating plants do not create energy. They change other forms of energy into
electricity. For example, power plants can convert chemical energy stored in fuels into thermal
energy, which evaporates water into steam, which produces mechanical energy as it moves
through turbines. The turbines spin generators, which produce electricity.
Mechanical Energy
Mechanical energy relates to the movement of objects or its position in relation to gravity.
Mechanical Energy - is moving energy. It is the form that we most see around us. All moving
objects produce mechanical energy. The movements within machines is also mechanical
energy.
Examples: People, a rolling bicycle, moving gears, and running cars.
Mechanical energy is the most familiar form of energy. It is the energy a substance or system
has because of its motion. Every moving object has mechanical energy, whether it is a hammer
driving a nail, a leaf falling from a tree, or a rocket flying in space. Mechanical energy pulls,
pushes, twists, turns and throws.
Machines use mechanical energy to do work. Our bodies also use mechanical energy to
perform motions such as throwing a ball or moving a pencil to write on paper