Earth's Pen Hello Learners, this is Earth's Pen. Today we are going to talk about another fun topic in physics. It is all about the types of energy. Energy can be categorized into two broad topics, the kinetic energy and the potential energy. These two are the basic forms of energy, and we know that kinetic energy is the energy of moving objects, while potential energy is the energy of moving objects.
energy is energy that is stored. But aside from these two energies, there are also other types of energy. This includes thermal energy, radiant energy, light energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, electrical energy, gravitational energy, and mechanical energy.
Let us discuss them one by one. The first type of energy that we're going to discuss is the thermal energy. Thermal energy or also called as heat energy is produced when there is a rise in temperature that causes atoms and molecules to move faster. collide with each other but how is thermal energy produced thermal energy is the energy that comes from the heated up substance which means that the hotter the substance the more its particles move and the higher its thermal energy.
To better understand this, let us have an example. Say you have a hot pot. You forgot that the pot is hot so you grab it with your hand. Now your hand is burnt because of the hot pot.
The thermal energy from the hot pot is being transferred to your hand. That is why you felt the burn in your hands. So, better be careful when dealing with hot things.
The next type of energy that we're going to discuss is the radiant energy. So what is radiant energy? Radiant energy is a form of electromagnetic energy.
This type of energy can take form of visible waves. which is what we call light energy but we will be talking about light energy later the sun produces a lot of radiant energy which is transmitted to earth as light radiant energy that is transmitted by the electromagnetic waves can come in different forms. Some examples of radiant energy are from the sunshine, x-rays, and radiant heating systems. I have mentioned light energy and radiant energy.
But what is light energy? Light energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength, which can be seen by the human eye. It is a type of kinetic energy. In an electromagnetic spectrum, we can see that light has the wavelength visible.
to our eyes. Light energy is formed through the movement of photons. Photons are like tiny pockets of energy. So when an object's atoms heat up, photons are produced from the movement of atoms, also Note that the hotter the object, the more photons are produced, and that is how light energy is formed. If you're asking how light energy is used, well basically, light energy is used to help us see.
The light can either come naturally with the use of the sun or fire, but it can also be from man-made objects like candles or light bulbs. Light energy is also used by plants during photosynthesis. Plants capture the light energy from the sun and use it to produce light. their food.
Next we have the chemical energy. Chemical energy is stored in the bonds that connect atoms with other atoms and molecules with other molecules because chemical energy is stored it is a form of potential energy. So what does that mean?
It means that when a chemical reaction takes place, the stored chemical energy is released. Chemical energy is the most widely used type of energy in the world. Most humans don't know that they are already using chemical energy. But how is it used? Chemical energy can be found in your food, in a burning wood, and even in photosynthesis.
Chemical energy is produced in the food that we eat, and that energy keeps us warm, helps us move, and allows us to grow. Stored chemical energy can also be found in coal, biomass, and chemical batteries. Next type of energy is the nuclear energy Nuclear energy comes from the nucleus of atoms How is nuclear energy released?
It is released by Nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is when the nuclei are fused together while nuclear fission is when the nuclei are split apart. Nuclear energy is a non-renewable energy source that comes from the nucleus of atoms.
Nuclear plants use nuclear fission of a radioactive element called uranium to generate electricity. So how does it work? The nucleus of uranium is a nuclear fission of a radioactive element called uranium. uranium atom is hit by a neutron. It causes the uranium atom to split into two atoms and at the same time the energy is released in the form of heat and radiation and as a result more neutrons are released which means that the energy is released in the form of heat means that the process repeats itself or in simpler terms there is a chain reaction during the process did you know that nuclear power plants must shut down every 18 to 24 months in order to dispose the used uranium fuel this is because the uranium fuel becomes a radioactive waste Moving on to the next type of energy, we have the electrical energy.
Electrical energy is caused by the movement of electrical charges called electrons. The faster the charges move, the more electrical energy they carry. Since the charges that cause the energy are moving, then we can say that electrical energy is a form of kinetic energy. So what are the examples of electrical energy?
The first example that we will tackle is during a thunderstorm. When there is a thunderstorm, we can see lightning, right? Did you know that lightning is a form of electrical energy? That's right, lightning is a form of electrical energy since during a thunderstorm, two electrically charged regions in the atmosphere temporarily equalizes themselves, causing the instantaneous release of energy.
In other words, electricity in the atmosphere is being discharged. Another example would be electric eels. Electric eels generate electrical energy which they use to defend against predators and to stun their prey. And now we have gravitational energy.
Gravitational energy is the kind of energy associated by no other than gravity. It is the potential energy stored by an object because of its higher position compared to a lower one. position. What do you think causes gravitational energy? Gravitational energy occurs and increases as an object or a system moves away further from the center of the earth.
Gravitational energy is dependent on the masses of two bodies and their distance apart. An example of when you can experience gravitational energy is when you are riding a roller coaster. When you are riding a roller coaster, you experience microgravity.
which means that you are moving in the same speed as the vehicle you are riding in. As I have said, when something is in a higher position, its gravitational energy is high. So when we place a book on the top shelf, it has a higher gravitational potential energy than the book on the bottom shelf because it has farther to fall. The last type of energy that we are going to discuss is the mechanical energy. The type of energy that you use when working or the energy acquired by the objects upon which work is done is known as mechanical energy.
Mechanical Mechanical energy is the type of energy that an object acquired due to its motion or position. Note that mechanical energy can be either kinetic energy or potential energy. An example of a mechanical energy is a moving car.
The car possesses a mechanical energy due to its motion. And since the car is in motion, the mechanical energy in this example is a kinetic energy. Another example would be lifting a ball over your head. The lifted ball possesses a mechanical energy due to its vertical position above the ground. And since the ball is stationary, then it is in the form of potential energy.
Before we end, let us first summarize everything. Today, you learned about the 8 types of energy, namely, thermal energy, radiant energy, light energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, electrical energy, gravitational energy, and mechanical energy. Now, did you enjoy our topic for today? I hope you certainly did.
See you again next time for more interesting and fun topics only here in Earthman. Learning has never been this easy for anyone, anywhere. Have a nice day.