Energy is the ability to do work. It is power that exists everywhere in many forms. Energy changes form whenever it is used to do work. When energy changes form it is called energy transformation. Another name for energy transformation is energy conversion.

For example, when electricity moves from a wall plug, through a charger, to a battery. Energy transformation is when energy changes from one form to another – like in a hydroelectric dam that transforms the kinetic energy of water into electrical energy.

energy conversion

The human body converts energy stored in food into work, thermal energy, and/or chemical energy that is stored in fatty tissue. The energy included in the basal metabolic rate is divided among various systems in the body, with the largest fraction going to the liver and spleen, and the brain coming next.

Energy moves and changes form. Three more ways energy can be transferred are through light, sound, and heat.

Once energy from the Sun gets to Earth, several things can happen to it:

• Energy can be scattered or absorbed by aerosols in the atmosphere.
• Short wavelengths are absorbed by ozone in the stratosphere.
• Clouds may act to either reflect energy out to space or absorb energy, trapping it in the atmosphere.

HOW DOES ENERGY CHANGE FORM? When something happens, energy is changed from one form into another. When you climb stairs, chemical energy in your food is changed into kinetic energy by your muscles, and into potential energy as you raise your body against gravity. The amount of energy transferred is measured in JOULES.

*Energy can be transform, or changed in form. Electrical, light, sound, thermal, kinetic, and potential energy. Electrical energy changes to light energy. Kinetic energy can change to sound or electrical energy.

Energy exists in many forms, such as heat, light, chemical energy, and electrical energy. Energy is the ability to bring about change or to do work. Thermodynamics is the study of energy. First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

There are posters for all of the types of energy: mechanical, kinetic, potential, gravitational, thermal, chemical, electrical, light, radiant, sound, and nuclear.

chemical energy

kinetic energy

When the ignition key is turned in a car, the battery sends a high voltage jolt of electricity to the starter, which transfers the electrical energy into mechanical energy as it cranks the flywheel.

chemical potential

Kinetic energy. “Normally, when you want to stop a car, you have to get rid of that kinetic energy again, and so what you do to get rid of that kinetic energy is put the brakes on, and it dissipates as heat into the brakes.” In a crash, you don’t usually have that luxury.

When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, thereby changing their motion. In such collisions, some energy is typically also transferred to the surrounding air; as a result, the air gets heated and sound is produced. Light also transfers energy from place to place.