Energy Vocabulary

energy

the ability to do work or cause change

Joule

a metric unit of energy or work.

kinetic energy (KE)

active or working energy

potential energy (PE)

stored or available energy

thermal KE

the total energy of motion of all the particles in a substance

temperature

a measure of the average energy of motion of the particles of a substance.

absolute zero

the theoretical temperature at which a substance possesses no kinetic energy

radiant KE

transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves

motion KE

energy of objects changing position over time

electrical KE

energy in the flow of electric charge (electrons)

sound KE

energy of pressure waves moving through matter

chemical PE

energy stored in the chemical bonds between atoms

nuclear PE

energy stored in the bonds within an atom's nucleus

elastic PE

energy stored in stretched or compressed objects

electrostatic field PE

energy stored in the distance and polarity between electrostatic fields

magnetic field PE

energy stored in the distance and polarity between magnetic fields

gravitational field PE

energy stored in the distance and mass difference between gravitational fields

Law of Conservation of Energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change from one form to another

energy transformation

a change from one form of energy to another

E = mc²

Einstein's equation for converting between mass and energy: Energy = mass x speed of light²