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Energy:
Forms and
Changes
Objectives
•Recognize different types of energy
•To identify that energy cannot be created or
destroyed and that energy is always conserved.
•To describe energy transfers

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• What is energy?
• Energy - is the ability to do work.
• Needed to make changes.

• What is its unit?

• Joules (j)
• 1000 joules = 1 kilo joule(kJ)

• Nature of Energy
• Energy is all around you!
• You can hear energy as sound.
• You can see energy as light.
• And you can feel it as wind.

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• You use energy when you:
• hit a softball.
• lift your book bag.
• compress a spring.

• Living organisms need energy for growth and movement.

• Energy is involved when:

• a bird flies.
• a bomb explodes.
• rain falls from the sky.
• electricity flows in a wire.

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Six Forms of Energy
Mechanical Electrical

Chemical

Heat/Thermal Light/Radiant

Nuclear

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 Heat Energy

The internal motion of the atoms is called heat energy,

because moving particles produce heat. Heat energy can be
produced by friction. Heat energy causes changes in
temperature and phase of any form of matter.

Chemical Energy

Chemical Energy is energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (atoms and molecules).
It is released in a chemical reaction, often producing heat as a by-product (exothermic
reaction). Batteries, biomass, petroleum, natural gas, and coal are examples of stored chemical
energy. Chemical Energy is required to bond atoms together. And when bonds are broken,
energy is released. Fuel and food are forms of stored chemical energy.

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Electrical Energy

Electrical energy is the energy carried by moving electrons in an electric conductor e.g. copper wire

Electromagnetic (Light) Energy

Form of energy that can travel through space as waves.

Have the properties of electricity and magnetism
Light is a form of electromagnetic energy.
Each color of light represents a different amount of electromagnetic energy.
Electromagnetic Energy is also carried by X-rays, radio waves, and laser light.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5vkYjV1V1A

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Nuclear Energy

The nucleus of an atom is the source of nuclear energy. When

the nucleus splits (fission), nuclear energy is released in the
form of heat energy and light energy.
Nuclear energy is also released when nuclei collide at high
speeds and join (fuse). The sun’s energy is produced from a
nuclear fusion reaction in which hydrogen nuclei fuse to form
helium nuclei. Nuclear energy is the most concentrated form
of energy.

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Nuclear Energy

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Mechanical Energy
mechanical energy is the sum of potential energy and
kinetic energy. It is the energy associated with the motion
and position of an object. When work is done to an object, it
acquires energy. The energy it acquires is known as mechanical
energy.

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• When you kick a football, you give mechanical energy to the
football to make it move.

• When you throw a bowling ball, you give it energy. When

that bowling ball hits the pins, some of the energy is
transferred to the pins (transfer of momentum).

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Mechanical Energy

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 Task 4 4 minutes
Match the following
Thermal a) Energy
f) The energy
that is due
stored
to the
due internal
to beingmotion
stretched
of
energy or
thecompressed
atoms
Electrical
Electrical b) e)
energy
energystored
carriedin the bonds electrons
by moving of chemical
in
energy
energy compounds
a conductor
Chemical
Chemical c) The energystored
b) energy from nucleus of an of
in the bonds atom when
chemical
energy
energy nuclei split or collide
compounds
Elastic d) Form of energy that can travel through space
Elastic energy a) Energy that is stored due to being stretched
energy as waves and have the properties of electricity
or compressed
and magnetism
Nuclear c) The energy from nucleus of an atom when
Nuclear e) energy carried by moving electrons in
energy nuclei split or fuse
energy a conductor
Electro-
Electro- d) Form
f) The of energy
energy due to that can travel
the internal through
motion of the
magnetic
magnetic space as waves and have the properties of
atoms
energy
energy electricity and magnetism
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 Here are some answers:

Energy type Examples

Thermal hot water, a hot radiator

Light light bulbs, Bunsen flame
Sound talking, TV, radio
Elastic a door closer, clockwork toys
Gravitational a book on a high shelf, a flying ball
Kinetic anything that is moving
Electrical anything electrical
Chemical food, batteries, burning things
Nuclear nuclear bombs, and power stations

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 States of Energy
• All forms of energy can be in either of two states:
• Potential Energy is stored energy
• Kinetic Energy is the energy of motion.
• The most common energy conversion is the conversion
between potential and kinetic energy.

• Potential Energy is stored energy.

• Stored chemically in fuel, the nucleus of atom, and in
foods.
• Or stored because of the work done on it:
• Stretching a rubber band.
• Winding a watch.
• Pulling back on a bow’s arrow.
• Lifting a brick high in the air.
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The energy of motion is called kinetic energy.
•The faster an object moves, the more kinetic
energy it has.
•The greater the mass of a moving object, the
more kinetic energy it has.
•Kinetic energy depends on both mass and
velocity.
Kinetic-Potential Energy Conversions
•As a basketball player throws the ball into the
air, various energy conversions take place.

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Identify the state of energy (Potential or Kinetic) 2 minutes

1 Potential 3 4 Kinetic
2 Kinetic

Potential

Kinetic 5 Potential Kinetic

6
9 Kinetic

Potential
7 8

10 Kinetic 14
12
11
13
Potential Potential Potential Potential
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The nature of energy
Energy can be changed from one form to another.

Examples:
Chemical energy in food is converted to thermal energy and
kinetic energy by our bodies.
Gravitational energy in a ball is converted to kinetic energy
when it falls to the ground.

What other energy transfers can you think of?

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 Suggest the energy transfer for the devices below:

A match burning chemical to heat and light

A portable torch chemical to heat and light
A microphone sound to electrical
A radio electrical to sound and heat
A TV electrical to sound and light and heat
A catapult elastic to kinetic and heat
A mobile phone chemical to sound and microwaves
(EM radiation) and heat
A car chemical to kinetic & sound & heat
Click for answers

In all these transfers, energy is conserved.

Energy cannot be destroyed or created.

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Energy Transfer and transformation.

• Energy can be changed from one form to another form,

called energy transformation

• Releasing a catapult
Elastic Potential
energy Kinetic energy

• Photosynthesis in plants

Light energy Chemical energy

from sun in Starch

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Energy transfer diagrams

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Potential vs. Kinetic Energy

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Place a tick into the correct column in the table for each of
the following statements

POTENTIAL KINETIC ENERGY

ENERGY

A car sitting in the driveway 

A car driving down the street 
A ball bouncing down the court 
A ball in a basketball player's 
hands
A child jumping on the bed 
A sleeping child 
A lamp 
A lamp turned on

A log in a fireplace 
A burning log


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 Potential Energy
• Energy that is stored due to being stretched or compressed is called elastic potential energy.

• Energy that is stored in food and fuel called chemical potential energy.

• A waterfall, a suspension bridge, and a falling snowflake all have gravitational potential energy.

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Gravitational Potential Energy

• If you stand on a 3-meter diving board, you have 3 times

the G.P.E, than you had on a 1-meter diving board.

• “The bigger they are the harder they fall” is not just a
saying. It’s true. Objects with more mass have greater
G.P.E.
• The formula to find G.P.E. is
G.P.E. = mass X gravity X Height.

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Energy resources

We all use chemical energy (food) to live and function.

However, in a modern society we also use large amounts of
energy from other sources.

Think of some activities requiring energy:

Travelling and communicating over long distances.

Controlling our environment - air conditioning / heating.

Manufacturing and building many kinds of materials and

products – e.g. roads, cars, buildings, prepared food.

The pie diagram on the next slide shows where the energy
comes from for some of these activities.

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Energy supplies in Britain

25%

coal
nuclear
35% hydro-electric
oil
30% natural gas

1% 9%

These energy resources can be divided into two types:

renewable and non-renewable.
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Non-renewable energy sources

Oil Coal Natural gas

Oil, coal and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels. They
were formed from biological deposits that have been covered
by mud or rocks. This causes the correct pressure and
temperature conditions to change.
There is a finite amount of these materials on the Earth so
they will run out eventually.
Once they are used up they cannot be regenerated easily and
used again.
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Renewable energy sources

These will not run out

because they can easily be
regenerated.
Examples are wind power,
solar power, tidal power
and biomass.

Only 1% of the UK’s energy comes from these sources.

Can you think of a reason why?

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Energy

The Sun
The original source of most
energy resources.
Plants store the sun’s energy
through photosynthesis.
Animals then eat the plants.

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The temperature, pressure, and type of organic material in the kerogen
determine whether oil or gas or a mixture is formed as shown in the figure
below.

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 Natural gas
Oil

The Sun
Coal
The original source
of most energy
resources.
food
biomass

Wind

waves
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How coal was formed

Plants photosynthesise and store the Sun’s

energy.

Coal

Dead plants fall into swampy water and the mud stops them
from rotting away.
Over time, the mud applies the correct pressure and
squashes the plants. The mud dries and becomes rock and the
plants change into coal.

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Coal Formation

Watch the video on boardworks on slide 18.

Extra reading from slide 12 -26

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How oil is formed

Oil is also biological in origin. Tiny animals live in the sea.

When they die they fall into mud and sand at the bottom
of the sea but do not rot away. They get buried deeper by
the mud and sand. The temperature and pressure (caused
by the weight of the sediments) change the mud and sand
into rock and the dead animals into crude oil and natural
gas.

This sample of crude oil was formed in

Southern England. Crude oil formed in other
parts of the world can be very different in
appearance and viscosity.

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Fossil Fuels | Types and Formation

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What will happen to the coffee as it
continues to sit?

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 Transfer of Heat (Thermal) Energy

• Heat is transferred only when two objects are at

different temperatures
• Thermal energy always moves from warmer to cooler
objects
• The warmer object loses thermal energy and becomes
cooler as the cooler object gains thermal energy and
becomes warmer.
• Energy will continue to move from a warmer object to a
cooler object until both have the same temperature.

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 Heat Transfer can occur in three ways:

Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of heat by direct contact (particles
collide). Conduction occurs most easily in solids and liquids

Convection
Convection is the flow of currents in a liquid or gas. A current
is created when the warmer (less dense) material rises forcing
the cooler (more dense) material to sink.

Radiation
Radiation is heat transfer through space by electromagnetic
waves. Unlike Conduction and Convection, Radiation can occur
in empty space, as well as in solids, liquids, and gases. Waves
such as visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet light are
examples of radiation
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Conductors and Insulators

• Substances that transfer thermal energy very well are

called Conductors.
• Substances that do not transfer thermal energy very well
are called Insulators.

Everyday Examples of Convection Currents

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Radiation

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Energy Transferred = Force X distance

E
F D

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Electricity

1. We can use energy resources to generate electricity

2. Most ways of generating electricity involves transferring
energy to a turbine’s kinetic energy store.
3. Power tells how fast something transfers energy. It is
usually measured in watts or kilowatts.
4. If you know power in watts and time in seconds then
Energy transferred = power X time
(J) (W) (s)
5. If you know power in kilowatts and time in hours, then
Energy transferred = power X time
(kWh) (kW) (h)

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What happens in a coal/oil power station?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6IpOcztJ50

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