Energy form

Energy can be in different ‘forms’ depending on what it is doing:

• Kinetic energy is the energy which makes objects move or vibrate.
• Gravitational potential energy is the energy which makes objects fall to the ground.
• Elastic potential energy is the energy which makes objects stretch and compress.
• Chemical energy is the energy which makes chemical reactions happen.
• Thermal energy is the energy which makes things hot. It’s really just an ‘intermediate step’ before energy is transferred into kinetic energy of the particles in the object, which is what makes it hot.
• Nuclear energy is the energy which makes nuclear reactions haappen.
• Electrical energy is the energy which makes electric currents flow. Think: energy in wires of circuits.
• Magnetic energy is the energy which makes magnets attract and repel each other.
• Sound energy - although this is also kind of just kinetic energy. The thing you hear is the particles vibrating - so kinetic.
• Mechanical energy is the energy which makes things move and do work.

Here’s a summary of them all:

• Kinetic energy
• Gravitational potential energy
• Elastic potential energy
• Chemical energy
• Thermal energy
• Nuclear energy
• Electrical energy
• Magnetic energy
• Sound energy
• Mechanical energy