Types of Energy

9SCIE - Energy for Life

Finn Le Sueur

2024

Ngā Whāinga Ako

  • Be able to identify different forms of energy
  • Be able to describe different forms of energy
  • Be able to categorise energies

Types of Energy

For each of these types of energy, think of and write down one tauria/example:

  1. Heat
  2. Magnetic
  3. Radiant
  4. Sound
  5. Nuclear
  1. Gravitational
  2. Kinetic
  3. Chemical
  4. Elastic
  5. Electrical

Active vs. Potential Energy

We split these 10 types of energy into two broad categories.

Active Energy

Energy that is doing work (something that can be observed and measured).

Potential Energy

Energy that is stored some way, and can be released to do something active!

Active Energy Tauria

Kinetic, sound, radiant, heat and electrical

Potential Energy Tauria

Gravitational, nuclear, chemical, elastic and magnetic

Mahi Tuatahi

Match these types of energy and their definitions up in your book:

Thermal Light Light Bulbs, a Bunsen flame talking, TV, radio
Gravitational Kinetic hot water, a hot radiator Nuclear bombs, power stations
Nuclear Sound Anything that is moving Food, batteries, burning things
Elastic Electrical book on a shelf, bungee jumper a wind-up-toy, rubber band
Computer Chemical

Energy Circus

Move around the room and see how each toy works. Write down the types of energy involved in each object!

Conservation of Energy

The Law of Energy Conservation is true throughout the universe. We have never found a situation where it doesn’t apply!

\[ \begin{aligned} \text{Energy in} &= \text{Energy out} \end{aligned} \]

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one type to another.

Whakamātau Whakaaro / Thought Experiment

Consider a skydiver falling to Earth.

  1. What kind of energy do they have before they jump out of the plane? Active or potential?
  2. What about after they start falling?

Discuss with the person and then write your answers in your book.

Whakatika

  1. When they are about to jump out of the plane they have gravitational potential energy.
  2. When they are falling they have both gravitational potential and kinetic energy.

Tauria

  • Chemical energy in food is transformed to heat energy and kinetic energy by our bodies
  • Gravitational energy in a ball is converted to kinetic energy when it falls to the ground

What energy transformations are happening at the boxes?

  1. Chemical potential energy in the battery is transformed into electrical energy moving along the earphones wire
  2. Electrical energy in the wire causes the earphone unit to move transforming it into sound energy