Energy

In physics, energy is the capacity for doing work.

Properties

• Energy can’t be created or destroyed. If one object loses energy, another object has to gain that energy.
• Energy can be converted into different forms.
• When an object’s motion changes, so does its energy.
• When a force acts on an object the energy of that object changes.

Common types of energy

Type	Description
Mechanical	The sum of kinetic and potential energies
Kinetic	Energy of motion of a body
Potential	Energy of an object’s position
Thermal	The temperature difference between two systems
Nuclear	Energy resulting from changes in the atomic nuclei or from nuclear reactions
Chemical	Results from chemical reactions between atoms or molecules
Electromagnetic	Energy from light or electromagnetic waves
Sonic	Energy of sound waves
Gravitational	The attraction between two objects based on their mass
Ionization	Energy that binds electrons to the nucleus of its atom, ion, or molecule