Kinetic Energy - is motion — of waves, electrons, atoms,
molecules, substances, and objects.
Radiant Energy is electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse
waves. Radiant energy includes visible light, x-rays, gamma rays
and radio waves. Light is one type of radiant energy. Sunshine is
radiant energy, which provides the fuel and warmth that make life
on Earth possible.
Thermal Energy, or heat, is the vibration and movement of the atoms
and molecules within substances. As an object is heated up, its
atoms and molecules move and collide faster. Geothermal energy is
the thermal energy in the Earth.
Motion Energy is energy stored in the movement of objects. The
faster they move, the more energy is stored. It takes energy to
get an object moving, and energy is released when an object slows
down. Wind is an example of motion energy. A dramatic example of
motion is a car crash, when the car comes to a total stop and releases
all its motion energy at once in an uncontrolled instant.
Sound is the movement of energy through substances in longitudinal
(compression/rarefaction) waves. Sound is produced when a force
causes an object or substance to vibrate — the energy is transferred
through the substance in a wave. Typically, the energy in sound
is far less than other forms of energy.
Electrical Energy is delivered by tiny charged particles called
electrons, typically moving through a wire. Lightning is an example
of electrical energy in nature, so powerful that it is not confined
to a wire. |