Basics
This is the "energy of motion" found in anything from a buzzing bee to a speeding train.
Answer: What is Kinetic Energy?
This type of energy can travel through the vacuum of empty space to reach Earth from the Sun.
Answer: What is Radiant (or Light) Energy?
This energy is stored in the bonds of molecules; you get it from the food you eat and the gasoline in a car.
Answer: What is Chemical Energy?
According to this Law, energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only do this.
Answer: What is Change (or Transform)?
A toaster takes in Electrical Energy and puts out these two forms of energy.
Answer: What are Thermal and Radiant?
This type of energy is stored based on how high an object is above the ground.
Answer: What is Gravitational Potential Energy?
Unlike light, this type of energy requires a "medium" (like air or water) because it relies on vibrating molecules.
Answer: What is Sound Energy?
This energy is produced by the movement of electrons through a conductor like a copper wire.
Answer: What is Electrical Energy?
If a ball stops rolling, the energy isn't "gone"—it has mostly turned into this "useless" form due to friction.
Answer: What is Thermal Energy (Heat)?
This is the transformation path of a solar-powered calculator.
Answer: What is Radiant → Electrical?
This is the specific name for energy stored in a stretched rubber band or a compressed spring.
Answer: What is Elastic Potential Energy?
Radio waves, X-rays, and Microwaves are all forms of this category of energy.
Answer: What is Radiant (or Electromagnetic) Energy?
This incredibly powerful energy is stored in the nucleus of an atom and released during fission.
Answer: What is Nuclear Energy?
In a "closed system," this is what happens to the total amount of energy after a transformation occurs.
Answer: What is it stays the same?
When you clap your hands, your body's Chemical Energy turns into these two forms.
Answer: What are Kinetic and Sound (and Thermal)?
As a boulder rolls down a mountain, its potential energy is being transformed into this.
Answer: What is Kinetic Energy?
This happens to the "pitch" of sound energy when the vibrations happen more frequently (higher frequency).
Answer: What is a higher pitch?
A battery waiting in a drawer is a prime example of this specific type of "Potential" energy.
Answer: What is Chemical Potential Energy?
A pendulum swings back and forth; at this specific point in the swing, its Potential Energy is at its maximum.
Answer: What is the highest point (or the top of the swing)?
A wind turbine turns the Kinetic energy of air into this form of energy for our homes.
Answer: What is Electrical Energy?
This is the "Total" energy of an object, calculated by adding its potential and kinetic energy together.
Answer: What is Mechanical Energy?
When you see a straw "bend" in a glass of water, it is because this form of energy is changing speed and direction.
Answer: What is Radiant (Light) Energy?
In the Sun, hydrogen atoms smash together to create helium, releasing energy through this specific nuclear process.
Answer: What is Nuclear Fusion?
This term describes how much "useful" energy you get out of a system compared to how much you put in.
Answer: What is Efficiency?
This is the energy path for a wood-burning campfire.
Answer: What is Chemical → Thermal + Radiant?