SciLinks

Energy science - An introduction to energy and how we use it by Chris Woodford. Last updated: April 5, 2015. Try to think of something that doesn't involve energy and you won't get very far. Even thinking—even thinking about energy!—needs some energy to make it happen. In fact, everything that happens in the world uses energy of one kind or another. Energy is a bit of a mystery. Picture: A supernova is the remains of an exploding star and it's just about the most spectacular release of energy you can get. Potential energy and kinetic energy Although there are many kinds of energy in the world, they all fall into two broad categories: potential energy and kinetic energy. It's easy to find examples of both potential energy and kinetic energy in the world around us. As the boulder starts to roll down the hill, the potential energy it had at the top is gradually converted into kinetic energy. A lot of things we do each day involve converting energy between potential and kinetic. Other kinds of potential and kinetic energy Heat energy Energy future