Forms of Energy
energy
the ability to cause an object to move, change, or work
transferred
MOVED from one place to another
trade-off
something that you do not want, but have to accept in order to have something that you want (disadvantage)
heat
the movement of thermal energy from hot to cold
control (sample/group)
an experimental group in which everything is the same as in the rest of the experiment; used to make a comparison
potential energy
stored energy that has not yet been used
transformed
CHANGED from one type to another
efficiency
the ratio of useful energy released to total energy absorbed by a process
temperature
a measure of the average energy per molecule of a substance; a measure of thermal energy
scientific law
a phenomenon of nature that has been proven to occur repeatedly, whenever certain conditions exist
kinetic energy
energy in motion
energy transfer
when energy MOVES from one place to another
friction
a force that exists at the boundary between any two objects that are in contact with each other
conduction
the flow of heat, electricity or sound through a material
Law of Conservation of Energy
the scientific law that states that energy can be transferred or transformed, but cannot be lost or destroyed
thermal energy
energy that is transferred from a warm object to a cool object
energy transformation
when energy CHANGES from one type to another
variable
a changing factor; in an experiment, the variable is what is studied
convection
the transfer of thermal energy by the movement of fluids by different temperatures
electrical energy
(current) movement of energy and charge from one place to another
(static) energy stored by the build-up of charge
chemical energy
a type of potential energy where the energy is stored in the bonds of atoms (ex. in foods or fossil fuels)
energy conservation
to reduce or “save” the total energy transformed
gravitational potential energy
a type of potential energy due to an object’s position above the earth
thermal conduction
the process of transferring thermal energy through matter by the transfer of kinetic energy between atoms, molecules, and electrons
nuclear energy
potential energy that is stored in the nucleus of an atom (ex. energy stored in the center of the sun)