Reviewing the Forms of Energy
There are many different forms of energy. Energy is throughout the entire universe in different forms and acting on many different objects and systems.
Objects can also contain several different forms of energy. One of the most well known forms of energy is kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy is something that every child learns about in basic physics class. It is energy exhibited by motion or movement.
For example, a ball rolling down a hill has kinetic energy. A box falling off of the top story of a building also had kinetic energy.
If something is moving in relation to something else, it has kinetic energy. Kinetic energy can do work on an object as well.
This means that if the moving object collides with something hard enough, the energy will be released the form of damage or a dent on either the moving object or the thing it collided with. The second type of energy is potential energy.
Potential energy is what an object has when it is not moving, but could potentially move. For example, if a figure is on the edge of a tall shelf, it is not moving.
However, if it were bumped it could gain kinetic energy through falling due to the force from gravity. The potential energy of an object is equal to the kinetic energy it would gain if it did fall.
The third kind of energy is call thermal energy. Thermal energy is also known as heat energy.
The warmer an object is, the faster the molecules within that object are moving. This form of energy is really a combination of the kinetic and potential energy of these molecules.
The molecules are moving, so they have kinetic energy. In addition, they all have an attraction to each other which creates potential energy.
Often, this form of energy is called a different name by non-scientists. It is generally called ‘temperature.’
The fourth kind of energy is chemical energy. Chemical energy is what is released when chemical reactions happen.
For example, your body converts what you eat into glucose. Then, that glucose releases energy, chemical energy, when it reacts or is combusted with oxygen.
The energy is then used by the muscles to move and create heat. Chemical energy is another form of potential energy because it is caused by the attractions between two molecules.
The levels of potential energy vary as the two molecules interact with one another. The fifth form of energy is electrical energy.
Electrons make up the critical component of electrical energy. They are a part of an atom that is negatively charged that orbit around the center of the atom which is made up of protons and neutrons.
They are held in orbit by a force similar to gravity exerted from this center, which is called the nucleus. When there is enough charge though, these electrons can move from atom to atom.
When these electrons move, a current is created that provides energy to many of the modern appliances today. This is perhaps the most well known form of energy as people who have not taken any science classes have often been told how it works.
Certain types of metal wires are particularly good at transferring the electrons from atom to atom as they are pushed forward by the electric field. How well something can encourage this movement is known as conductivity.
If something hinders this movement it is usually referred to as resistance. The sixth kind of energy is electrochemical energy.
This is the form of energy that is stored in a battery and powers many flashlights and toys. A battery stores this energy in a chemical form, but it is moved electrically.
Hence the name of electrochemical was developed. Fuel-cells are also capable of storing electrochemical energy.
The seventh form of energy is electromagnetic energy, which is most commonly known as light. There is a lot of energy transferred to the Earth from the sun.
Light is made up of photons, which are essentially particles of energy. Photons are the thing created when electrons move to lower levels within an atom’s orbit.
It takes a lot of energy for an electron to orbit further away from the nucleus. Therefore, when it moves closer to the nucleus it does not need as much energy and releases it in a photon.
There are many forms of energy that are used in a variety of ways today. It is very helpful to us in many different ways as well as necessary for life.
Terry Daniels is a former electrical engineer and has written hundreds of articles relating to air conditioning and heating, including shop heater. He has been involved in the air conditioning and heating business for over 16 years.
Contact Info:
Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
http://www.theheatstorm.com
