Conservation of Energy Song. The Energy Story - Introduction. Energy is one of the most fundamental parts of our universe. We use energy to do work. Energy lights our cities. Energy powers our vehicles, trains, planes and rockets. Energy warms our homes, cooks our food, plays our music, gives us pictures on television. Energy powers machinery in factories and tractors on a farm. Energy from the sun gives us light during the day. Everything we do is connected to energy in one form or another. Energy is defined as: "the ability to do work. " When we eat, our bodies transform the energy stored in the food into energy to do work. Cars, planes, light bulbs, boats and machinery also transform energy into work. Work means moving something, lifting something, warming something, lighting something. There are many sources of energy. The forms of energy we will look at include: Electricity We will also look at turbines and generators, at what electricity is, how energy is sent to users, and how we can decrease or conserve the energy we use.
What is Energy? Kinds of Energy. NOTE: If you want to learn about Energy in terms of Renewable and Non-renewable Energy, please select an option below: What is energy? Look around you. Is anything moving? Can you hear, see or feel anything? Sure... this is because something is making something happen, and most probably, there is some power at work. This power or ability to make things happen is what we can call energy. It makes things happen. Look at the sketch below to see an example of things working, moving, or happening... with energy. Energy moves cars along the roads and makes aeroplanes fly. KINDS OF ENERGY With the above explanation in mind, let us learn more.
Energy can be (is) stored or transferred from place to place, or object to object in different ways. GCSE Bitesize: Forms of energy. What is Kinetic Energy? Kinetic Energy All moving things have kinetic energy. It is energy possessed by an object due to its' motion or movement. These include very large things, like planets, and very small ones, like atoms. The heavier a thing is, and the faster it moves, the more kinetic energy it has. Now let's see this illustration below. There is a small and large ball resting on a table. Let us say both balls will fall into the bucket of water.
You will notice that the smaller ball makes a little splash as it falls into the bucket. Note the following: 1. Let's see another classic example. Other examples of Kinetic Energy include a moving car, moving wheel, and a moving arrow. Click to see a video example of kinetic energy in use. Can you give your own examples? Energy Quest Room. Forms of Energy. Back to Table of Contents What are the different forms of energy? Energy has a number of different forms, all of which measure the ability of an object or system to do work on another object or system. In other words, there are different ways that an object or a system can possess energy.
Here are the different basic forms: Kinetic Energy: Consider a baseball flying through the air. The formula for Kinetic energy, and for some of the other forms of energy described in this section will, is given in a later section of this primer. Potential Energy: Consider a book sitting on a table. Thermal, or heat energy: Consider a hot cup of coffee.
Chemical Energy: Consider the ability of your body to do work. Electrical Energy 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). Electrochemical Energy: Consider the energy stored in a battery. Sound Energy: Kids Zone: Power Sources. Power Sources There are many types of power sources. The most popular power source is fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas). Fossil fuels were formed when ancient plants and animals died hundreds of millions of years ago. As their bodies decayed, they were mixed with the sand and mud and buried deep in the earth. Although fossil fuel is the most common power source, it is not the only one. While these power sources are used to produce most of the earth's electricity, it is important to remember that some of them are non-renewable, which means that they can not be naturally restored in a short period if time.
Renewable energy is a source of energy that can never be exhausted. Biomess Energy | A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change. Biomass is a fancy name for material from plants and animals. Some kinds of biomass can be burned to produce energy. One common example is wood. Biomass contains stored energy. That's because plants absorb energy from the sun through the process of photosynthesis. When biomass is burned, this stored energy is released as heat. Burning biomass releases carbon dioxide. Many different kinds of biomass, such as wood chips, corn, and some types of garbage, are used to produce electricity. Energy from trees. Top of page. Kids Zone: Types of Energy Just like there are different forms of electricity, there are different types of energy too. The two main types of energy are: Kinetic Energy Potential Energy Kinetic Energy is energy that is in motion. Moving water and wind are good examples of kinetic energy.
Energy is measured in the amount of "work" it does. Energy can change from one form to another. There are other types of energy as well: Mechanical Energy is the energy of motion that does the work.