Energy is all around us. It’s responsible for making everything happen, whether you want to use any household appliance, take a walk through the park, drive your car across town, or do anything that involves movement or activity.
But what is energy? Though we are constantly surrounded by it, the nature of this elusive yet omnipresent force is often misunderstood or not thought about at all. Here are 15 common types of energy and examples of them.
What is Energy?
In Physics, energy is the capacity for doing work. It may exist in potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other forms.
Scientists define energy as the ability to do work. Modern civilization is possible because people have learned how to change energy from one form to another and then use it to do work.
People use energy to walk and bicycle, move cars along roads and boats through water, cook food on stoves, make ice in freezers, light our homes and offices, manufacture products, and send astronauts into space.
There are many different forms of energy, including
- Heat
- Light
- Motion
- Electrical
- Chemical
- Gravitational
These forms of energy can be grouped into two general types of energy for doing work:
- Potential or stored energy
- Kinetic or working energy
Energy can be converted from one form to another. For example, the food a person eats contains chemical energy, and a person’s body stores this energy until he or she uses it as kinetic energy during work or play.
The stored chemical energy in coal or natural gas and the kinetic energy of water flowing in rivers can be converted to electrical energy, which in turn can be converted to light and heat.
Energy sources can be categorized as renewable or nonrenewable
There are many different sources of energy, which can be divided into two basic categories:
- Renewable energy sources that can be easily replenished
- Nonrenewable energy sources that cannot be easily replenished
Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources can be used as primary energy sources to produce useful energy such as heat, or they can be used to produce secondary energy sources such as electricity and hydrogen.
Energy Formula:
| Energy formula | Energy = Power x Time |
| Kinetic energy formula | K.E. = 1/2 mv2 |
| Potential energy formula | U=mgh |
| Gravitational potential energy formula | ΔPEg = mgh |
| Conservation of energy formula | K1+U1 =K2+U2 |
| Mechanical energy formula | (Em=K+U) Mechanical energy = kinetic energy + potential energy |
| Elastic potential energy formula | Elastic potential energy = force × displacement. |
| Internal energy formula | ΔU = Q + W |
| Spring potential energy formula | String potential energy = force × distance of displacement. |
| Electric potential energy formula | UE = k (q1q2/r) |
Types of Energy and Examples
Types of energy can be categorized into two broad categories – kinetic energy (the energy of moving objects) and potential energy (energy that is stored). These are the two basic forms of energy.
The different types of energy are as follows: Electrical Energy, Chemical Energy, Mechanical Energy, Thermal Energy, and Nuclear Energy.
1. Mechanical Energy
Mechanical energy is the sum of the kinetic energy, or energy of motion, and the potential energy, or energy stored in a system by reason of the position of its parts.
Mechanical energy is constant in a system that has only gravitational forces or in an otherwise idealized system that is, one lacking dissipative force, such as friction and air resistance, or one in which such forces can be reasonably neglected.
Examples of Mechanical Energy:
- Turning a doorknob.
- Breathing in and out.
- Hammering a nail.
- Riding a bicycle.
- Sharpening a pencil.
- Using kitchen appliances.
- Listening to music.
- Typing on a keyboard.
2. Chemical Energy
Chemical energy is a type of energy stored in chemical compounds and released during a chemical reaction. In most of these reactions, heat energy is the byproduct. Chemical energy is the most common form of energy.
It comes in different forms and can constantly change form. The food that we eat, all battery-powered devices, and the combustion of oil, fuel, gas, and electricity are some examples of chemical energy.
Examples: Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. Batteries, biomass, petroleum, natural gas, and coal are examples of chemical energy.
3. Thermal Energy
Thermal energy is also known as Heat energy. This is a type of energy in which the object gets energy due to the movement of the molecules within the object. As the movement of these molecules becomes faster, more heat is produced.
Heat energy on Earth is from the sun above. This energy can transfer only by convection, conduction, and radiation. It is difficult to convert heat energy into other forms. Some of examples of heat are gas stove burners, and a hot cup of coffee and when u rub your hand together, heat energy is produced.
Examples of thermal energy include heaters that make a room warmer, the sun drying wet clothes on a clothesline, ironing a shirt, baking a cake, and warming water to make tea.
4. Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is a type of energy inside the atom in the nucleus. Each object around us is made up of an atom. There is a lot of energy in these atoms. On certain grounds, these atoms release energy that can be harmful and useful to mankind.
This energy can be used to generate electricity, boil water to create steam and even explode a nuclear bomb.
Example: Nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay are examples of nuclear energy. An atomic detonation or power from a nuclear plant are specific examples of this type of energy.
5. Radiant Energy
Radiant energy is electromagnetic energy that travels in transverse waves. Electromagnetic energy is a type of energy in which energy is emitted through electrical or magnetic waves traveling through space.
These waves do not require a medium and travel through empty space at the speed of light. It has vibrations of both electricity and magnetism. Some examples of electromagnetic waves are X-rays, and microwaves. Radio, gamma rays, and ultraviolet rays are examples of electromagnetic waves.
Examples: Radiant energy sources include the entire electromagnetic radiation spectrum, including gamma rays, x-rays, radio frequencies, microwaves, light and heat.
6. Motion Energy
Motion energy is energy stored in the movement of objects. The faster they move; the more energy is stored. It takes energy to make an object move, and energy is released when an object slows down. The wind is an example of motion energy.
A dramatic example of motion energy is a car crash—a car comes to a total stop and releases all of its motion energy at once in an uncontrolled instant.
Examples: Motion energy can be found in any moving object – here are some examples: Wind, A ball being thrown, Someone running, A fish swimming.
7. Sound Energy
Sound energy is a type of energy in which associated with matter vibrations. Sound energy needs a medium to travel and produces low levels of energy. Due to this property of sound, there is no sound in space.
The measurement of these waves depends upon their intensity and pressure. Sound travels fastest through a liquid. The sound of vehicles, wind chimes, laughing, crying, water falling, boiling, whistles, and guitars all are examples of sound energy.
8. Electric Energy
Electric energy is a type of energy due to the movement of electric charge and can be commonly called electricity. The origin is from electromagnetic forces. When this electrical energy flows, a little bit of heat energy is generated. Electric heaters, appliances, lights, fans, televisions, and all use electrical energy.
9. Atomic Energy
Atomic Energy is produced when you split atoms. A tremendous amount of energy is released when this happens. Atomic bombs, nuclear power plants, nuclear submarines, and the sun are some examples of Atomic Energy.
10. Gravitational Energy
Gravitational energy is a type of energy possessed by an object when it is moved against gravity. This is mainly caused due to the pull of gravity. The higher the object, the higher the gravitational energy.
The force of gravity of an object depends upon its mass of the object. Some examples of gravitational energy are water stored in a dam, rocks at the top of a hill, and a parachute.
11. Magnetic Energy
Magnetic energy is a type of energy stored in the magnetic fields in magnets. All magnets are examples of magnetic energy.
12. Elastic Energy
Elastic energy is a form of potential energy because it is stored in the bonds between atoms in an object or substance when it is temporarily under stress. This stress could be due to the object being stretched or squashed.
Elastic energy is stored in the bonds between the atoms in an object or substance. These bonds absorb energy as they are stressed, and release that energy as they relax.
13. Kinetic Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion of a body. It ranges from 0 to a positive value.
Example: An example is a child swinging on a swing. No matter whether the swing is moving forward or backward, the value of the kinetic energy is never negative.
14. Potential Energy
Potential energy is the energy of an object’s position.
Example: When a child swinging on a swing reaches the top of the arc, she has maximum potential energy. When she is closest to the ground, her potential energy is at its minimum (0). Another example is throwing a ball into the air. At the highest point, the potential energy is greatest. As the ball rises or falls it has a combination of potential and kinetic energy.
15. Ionization Energy
Ionization energy is the form of energy that binds electrons to the nucleus of an atom, ion, or molecule.
Example: The first ionization energy of an atom is the energy needed to remove one electron completely. The second ionization energy is energy to remove a second electron and is greater than that required to remove the first electron.