Lesson 1 What is Energy?

What is thermal energy?

Energy due to randomly moving particles that make up matter

What is kinetic energy?

Energy of motion

What is light energy?

Light energy is the energy that travels as waves and can move through empty space.

What signs of energy use can you see in the classroom?

Lights, computers, clocks

Can you see energy?

No, but you can see the results of energy

Is sound energy formed by the movement of electronically charged particles? Why or why not?

No, sound energy is formed by vibrations carried by air, water, or other matter.

What is electrical energy?

The energy of electrically charged particles

A toddler is playing with a wind-up toy. What kind of energy does the wind up toy have when the toddler has wound it up and lets it go?

The wind-up toy has potential energy

Explain how the energy changes in a swing from potential to kinetic back to potential.

When the swing is in it's highest position, it has the greatest potential energy. As it starts to swing down, the potential energy changes to kinetic energy. At the swings lowest position the swing has the greatest kinetic energy. As the swing goes back up, the kinetic energy decreases and the potential energy increases.

What is sound energy?

energy of vibrations carried by air, water, or other matter

What is potential energy?

energy that is stored in an object

What is energy?

the ability to cause motion or create change