Forms of Energy
This is the form of energy we feel as heat.
What is Thermal Energy?
This type of material, such as copper or silver, allows electricity to flow through it easily.
What is a Conductor?
This renewable energy source captures light and heat directly from the sun.
What is Solar Power?
You should do this every time you leave a room to save electricity.
What is Turn off the lights?
This type of electricity is caused by a buildup of electrical charges on the surface of an object, like when you rub a balloon on your hair.
What is Static Electricity?
This is the energy of an object in motion, like a rolling ball or a blowing wind.
What is Kinetic Energy?
This type of material, such as rubber, plastic, or glass, blocks or slows down the flow of electricity.
What is an Insulator?
This energy source uses the power of moving water to turn turbines and create electricity.
What is Hydroelectric Energy?
Doing this to phone chargers and appliances when not in use stops "vampire" or "phantom" power loss.
What is Unplugging them?
Named after Alessandro Volta, this is the unit used to measure the "push" or electrical pressure in a circuit.
What are Volts (or Voltage)?
This type of energy is stored in the bonds of molecules, found in things like food, wood, and batteries.
What is Chemical Energy?
This is a complete, unbroken path that allows electrical current to flow from a power source to a device.
What is a Closed Circuit?
This is the term for energy sources, like coal and oil, that cannot be replaced once they are used up.
What are Non-renewable Resources?
Using this to dry your laundry instead of an electric dryer uses zero electricity and saves a lot of energy.
What is a Clothesline (or air drying)?
This massive, natural spark of static electricity occurs during a storm when charges jump between clouds or to the ground.
What is Lightning?
This form of energy travels in waves and includes visible light, X-rays, and radio waves.
What is Radiant (or Light) Energy?
This component is added to a circuit to purposefully slow down the flow of electrons.
What is a Resistor?
These energy sources were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
What are Fossil Fuels?
Replacing old incandescent bulbs with these can save up to 75% more energy.
What are LED bulbs?
This occurs when electricity follows an unintended, "shorter" path with very low resistance, which can cause wires to overheat or sparks to fly.
What is a Short Circuit?
This is the sum of an object’s kinetic energy and its potential energy.
What is Mechanical Energy?
In this specific type of circuit, there is only one path for the electricity to follow; if one bulb burns out, they all go out.
What is a Series Circuit?
This energy is released when the nuclei of atoms (usually Uranium) are split apart.
What is Nuclear Energy?
This term describes using less energy to provide the same level of service (like a fridge that uses less power than an older model).
What is Energy Efficiency?
This fundamental law of science states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
What is the Law of Conservation of Energy?