Energy

ENERGY
The amount of work a physical
system is capable of performing.
Energy can be defined as the
ability to do work.
If an object or organism does
work (exerts a force over a
distance to move an object)
the object or organism uses
energy.
Energy can neither be created or
destroyed
When anything happens in the
physical world, energy is
somehow involved.

Nature of Energy

Because of the direct connection

between energy and work, energy
is measured in the same unit as
work: joules (J).
In addition to using energy to do
work, objects gain energy because
work is being done on them.

Nature of Energy
You use energy
when you:
hit a softball.
lift your book bag.
compress a spring.

Nature of Energy

Living organisms need

energy for growth and
movement.

Energy:
Forms and
Changes

Forms of Energy
The main forms of energy are:
Thermal (Heat)
Chemical
Radiant (Electromagnetic)
Electrical
Nuclear
Mechanical

Thermal-Heat Energy
The internal motion of the atoms
is called heat energy, because
moving particles produce heat.
Heat energy can be produced by
friction.
Heat energy causes changes in
temperature and phase of any
form of matter.

Chemical Energy

Chemical Energy
is required to
bond atoms
together.
And when bonds
are broken,
energy is
Fuel and food are forms
released.
of stored chemical
energy

Radiant(Electromagnetic)
Energy
Power lines carry
electromagnetic energy into
your home in the form of
electricity.
Light is a form of
electromagnetic energy.
Each color of light (ROY G BV)
represents a different amount
of electromagnetic energy.
Electromagnetic Energy is also
carried by X-rays, radio waves,
and laser light.

Electrical Energy

Energy from
moving
electrons; what
we generally
think of as
energy.

Nuclear Energy
The nucleus of an atom
is the source of nuclear
energy.
When the nucleus splits (fission),
nuclear energy is released in the form
of heat energy and light energy.
Nuclear energy is also released when
nuclei collide at high speeds and join
(fuse).

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is
the most
concentrated form
of energy.
Nuclear Power Plants
convert nuclear energy
into electromagnetic
energy.

Mechanical Energy
When work is done to
an object, it acquires
energy. The energy it
acquires is known as
mechanical energy.
When you kick a
football, you give
mechanical energy to
the football to make it
move.

Mechanical Energy
When you throw a
bowling ball, you give
it energy. When that
bowling ball hits the
pins, some of the
energy is transferred
to the pins (transfer of
momentum).

Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy can be neither created
nor destroyed by ordinary
means.
It can only be converted from
one form to another.
Changes in the form of
energy are called energy
conversions.

An inventor claims to have created an

internal combustion engine that converts
100kJ of chemical energy from diesel fuel
to 140kJ of mechanical energy. This claim
violates the law of conservation of --

A. Momentum
B. Inertia
C. Energy
D. Mass

Why is the sum of the products energy

in this reaction less than the sum of the
reactants energy?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Energy is given off as heat.

The products absorb available energy.
Energy is trapped in the reactants.
The reactants energy is less than the
melting point of glucose.

Conservation of Energy
In 1905, Albert Einstein
said that mass and
energy can be converted
into each other.
He showed that if matter
is destroyed, energy is
created, and if energy is
destroyed mass is
created.

E = mc2

According to the
2
equation E = mc ,
mass -A. Travel at the speed of light
B. Can be transformed into energy
C. Contains light energy
D. Is doubled when exposed to light

Energy conversions
All forms of energy can be converted into other
forms.
The suns energy through solar cells can be
converted directly into electricity.
Green plants convert the suns energy
(electromagnetic) into starches and sugars
(chemical energy).
In an electric motor, electromagnetic energy is
converted to mechanical energy.
In a battery, chemical energy is converted into
electromagnetic energy.
The mechanical energy of a waterfall is converted
to electrical energy in a generator.

Which of the following

is an example of solar
energy being
converted into
chemical energy?
A. Plants producing sugar during the day
B. Water evaporating and condensing in the
water cycle
C. The sun unevenly heating Earths surface
D. Lava erupting from volcanoes for many day

Which process best

shows the conversion
of solar energy to
chemical energy?
A. Prevailing winds causing windmills to
spin
B. Green plants making their own food
C. Uranium producing heat to make steam
D. Tides generating electricity

Chemical Heat Mechanical

Mechanical Energy
The most common energy conversion
is the conversion between potential
and kinetic energy.
It is the sum of all potential energy
and kinetic energy.

Mechanical Energy = PE + KE

Kinetic energy = the energy a body

possesses due to its motion
Kinetic energy depends on both mass
and velocity.
The faster an object moves, the
more kinetic energy it has.
The greater the mass of a moving
object, the more kinetic energy it
has.
velocity, v
(m/s)

mass, m (kg)

Kinetic energy
= mv2

m = mass of object
v = speed of object
Unit: Joules (J)

Force on a Nail
When a hammer strikes a nail,
the hammers kinetic energy is
converted into work, which
pushes the nail into the wood

Gravitational Potential energy

= the energy a body possesses
because of its position relative
to the ground

PE = mgh
The bigger they are the harder
they fall is not just a saying. Its
true. Objects with more mass have
greater G.P.E.

mg

What is the potential

energy of the rock?
A. 59,900 joules
B. 64,600 joules
C. 93,100 joules
D. 121,600 joules

What is the approximate

difference in gravitational
potential energy of the two
shaded boxes?
A. 19 J
B. 39 J
C. 59 J
D. 79 J

A
C
D

E
B

All potential energy

(stops for an instant)
P.E. = 10 J
K.E. = 0 J

All kinetic energy

(greatest speed)
K.E. = 10 J
P.E. = 0 J

Potential energy &

Kinetic energy
P.E. = 5 J; K.E. = 5 J

All potential energy

(stops for an instant)
P.E. = 10 J
K.E. = 0 J

Potential energy &

Kinetic energy
P.E. = 4 J; K.E. = 6 J

Conservation of Energy:
Roller Coaster

As a rocket rises, its kinetic energy

changes. At the time the rocket
reaches its highest point, most of
the kinetic energy of the rocket
has been
A.
B.
C.
D.

Permanently destroyed
Transformed into potential energy
Converted to friction
Stored in bonds between its atoms

Nature of Energy
Energy is all around you!
You can hear energy as sound.
You can see energy as light.
And you can feel it as wind.