Download Forms of Energy

• What is energy?
• Energy is the ability to do work
• Potential energy
• The energy stored in objects because of
their position
• Gravitational Potential Energy
• Using force to do work against gravity
• The energy is stored until gravity can
do work on it and pull it down to the
ground
• Kinetic energy
• The energy in objects that are in motion
How is it different from kinetic energy?
Potential energy is stored energy while kinetic energy is the
energy of motion. When potential energy is used it is converted
into kinetic energy. You can think of potential energy as kinetic
energy waiting to happen.
The green ball has potential energy due to its height. The purple ball has kinetic energy
due to its velocity.
Forms of Energy
Mechanical Energy
• The energy of something that is in motion or can be
in motion
• Since potential and kinetic energy can easily switch
between them we measure the combined energy
and classify it as mechanical energy.
• When the work is done upon the object, that object
gains energy.
• The energy acquired by the objects upon which
work is done is known as mechanical energy.
• Thermal
• The kinetic energy due to the random motion of the
particles that make up an object
• Thermal energy is related to the temperature of an
object.
• Since heat is known as a process, objects cannot
contain heat. Objects contain thermal energy.
• When thermal energy is transferred from or to an
object, it is called heat.
• Unlike other forms of energy, thermal energy is
difficult to convert to other forms of energy.
• Thermal
• Which would have more thermal energy; an ice
cube, a lake, or a boiling pot of water?
• The lake because it has so many more particles
than the other two therefore more thermal
energy.
• Chemical
• The energy of a compound that changes as its
atoms are rearranged
• Chemical energy is a form of potential energy
• Chemical energy is stored inside a substance or
object until it is involved in a chemical reaction.
• The total energy depends on the arrangement of
the atoms in a compound
Chemical
• Which has more chemical energy; water or sugar?
• Sugar has more chemical energy because of its
large molecules (C6H12O6)
• Chemical
• Electrical Energy
• The potential energy of moving electrons
• This energy is generated by the movement of
positive and negative particles or electricity.
• Static electricity occurs when the electrons from
one object jump to another object.
• Lightning is an example of electrical energy
found in nature.
Direct Current
• Alternating Current
• Electrical energy is produced when magnets are
moved through coils of wire
• Sound Energy
• The transmition of vibrating energy through the air
• A vibrating object causes the particles around it
to vibrate. This kinetic energy is transmitted to
our ears and we hear sound
• Sound Energy
• Sound produces a relatively low level of energy
when compared to other forms of energy.
• There is no sound in space because there is no
object for sound to travel through.
• Sounds travels through a solid much faster than
through air.
• Light Energy
• The kinetic energy produced by the vibrations of
electrically charged particles
• Light is a type of electromagnetic energy.
• Light energy is always moving and can therefore not
be stored.
• Light Energy
• Light is made of tiny photons
e−
• Forms of Energy
• Light Energy
• The energy produced by the vibrations of
electrically charged particles
e−
• Light Energy
• The energy produced by the vibrations of
electrically charged particles
e−
Photon of light
• Nuclear Energy
• The potential energy that comes from changes in
the nucleus of an atom
• Atoms store a tremendous amount of potential
energy because of the position of the particles
in the nucleus
• When the nucleus of an atom is “split” we have
nuclear fission
• This is the same energy given off by an
atomic bomb
• Nuclear Energy
• There are roughly 430 nuclear power plants
worldwide.
• Nuclear energy itself is not dangerous but the way
in which it is generated gives off harmful waste
products.