How it works
This forms of energy quiz sets an everyday case, such as a drawn bow or a toaster, and asks which form of energy it shows or which change it makes. The forms follow the U.S. Energy Information Administration's list.
Read the full guide
Elastic or mechanical
The Energy Information Administration calls the energy in a wound spring or a drawn bow stored mechanical energy. This quiz uses the usual school name, elastic potential energy.
Two sets
Name the form gives one case and four forms to choose from. Name the change of form gives a device, such as a solar panel or a loudspeaker, and asks what goes in and what comes out.
- Ask what is stored and what is moving: a full tank holds chemical energy, a rolling car has motion energy.
- A change often has two outputs: a lamp gives heat as well as light.
Questions and answers
What are the forms of energy?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration lists nine: chemical, mechanical, nuclear and gravitational energy, which are stored, and radiant, thermal, motion, sound and electrical energy, which are kinetic.
What is the difference between potential and kinetic energy?
Potential energy is stored energy and the energy of position, such as a rock on a cliff or the fuel in a tank. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion: of objects, waves, electrons, atoms and molecules.
What is an example of energy changing form?
A solar panel changes radiant energy into electrical energy. A car engine changes the chemical energy in gasoline into mechanical energy. In each change the total amount of energy stays the same.
Can energy be created or destroyed?
No. The law of conservation of energy says that energy is neither created nor destroyed. When it seems to be used up, it has changed into another form.