Forms & Laws of Energy
The ability to make things move or change.
Energy
The transfer of thermal energy between two objects or systems due to a temperature difference.
Heat
Tiny pieces, such as atoms or molecules, that make up all matter.
Particles
Anything that has mass and takes up space.
Matter
The energy that an object has because it is moving.
Kinetic Energy
The total kinetic energy of all the molecules that make up a sample.
Thermal Energy
The movement of particles, describing how fast or slow they are moving.
Particle Motion
The amount of matter contained inside an object.
Mass
Stored energy based on an object’s position or arrangement.
Potential Energy
Heat transfer occurring through direct contact when materials are touching.
Conduction
The exact moment when two objects hit each other.
Collision
A set of interacting parts forming a complex whole.
System
This rule states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or changed from one form to another.
Law of Conservation of Energy
Heat transfer caused by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas.
Convection
The average energy of motion of all the particles in a substance.
Average Kinetic Energy
When hot chocolate warms a cold mug, thermal energy moves between touching objects through this specific process.
Conduction
The term for energy moving from one object to another or from place to place.
Energy Transfer
Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays.
Radiation
A measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample.
Temperature
Unlike temperature (which measures average particle speed), this term describes the total kinetic energy of all molecules combined.
Thermal Energy