Energy: Kinetic, Potential, and Conservation
Energy is the ability to do work or cause change, and it comes in many forms. Two forms show up most on the test: kinetic energy (the energy of motion) and potential energy (stored energy). Along with the law of conservation of energy, these ideas explain a huge range of everyday events.
Kinetic and Potential Energy
Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because it is moving. A rolling ball, a flowing river, and a speeding car all have kinetic energy — and the faster and heavier the object, the more it has. Potential energy is stored energy, often due to an object’s position. A ball held above the ground has gravitational potential energy; a stretched rubber band has elastic potential energy. Raise an object higher, and you store more potential energy in it.
Energy Transforms
Energy constantly changes from one form to another. When you drop that raised ball, its potential energy turns into kinetic energy as it speeds up on the way down. A roller coaster is a perfect example: it has the most potential energy at the top of a hill and the most kinetic energy at the bottom, trading one for the other as it goes.
The Law of Conservation of Energy
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed — it only changes form. The total amount of energy in a system stays the same. When the ball falls, no energy is lost; the potential energy simply becomes kinetic energy (and a little heat from air resistance). On the test, if a question asks where the energy “went,” the answer is that it transformed into another form, not that it disappeared.
Watch: A Short Video Lesson
Groce Chemistry walks through this skill clearly in a few minutes. It is a helpful companion to the reading above:
A Routine for Energy Questions
- Kinetic energy = energy of motion; more speed and mass means more.
- Potential energy = stored energy, often from height or stretch.
- Energy transforms between forms (potential to kinetic and back).
- Total energy is conserved — never created or destroyed.
Practice
- What is kinetic energy?
- What is potential energy?
- At the top of a hill, does a roller coaster have mostly kinetic or potential energy?
- As a ball falls, what happens to its potential energy?
- What does the law of conservation of energy say?
- Where does a stretched rubber band store its energy?
Answers
- The energy of a moving object.
- Stored energy, often due to position.
- Potential energy.
- It changes into kinetic energy.
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form.
- As elastic potential energy.
Where This Fits in Your Science Prep
Energy builds on forces and connects to work and simple machines, where forces move objects and transfer energy. See all topics on the Science Topics Hub.
Recommended Prep Books
These study guides and practice books help you keep building momentum as you prepare:
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