What are the different forms of energy ?

Different Forms of Energy

There are many forms of energy. Some common forms of energy are as follows:

(1) Kinetic Energy

When a body is moving, it possesses energy. Because a force is acting on it and it also covers some distance. lt means that the body has the ability to do work.
When a cricket ball is hit with a bat, the ball runs fast. We say that the running ball
possesses kinetic energy. But we observe that ball stops after covering some distance, then where
did the kinetic energy go? Actually a force acts on the moving ball in opposite
direction, which is ground friction. This frictional force causes the ball to stop. Here the friction of air is negligible.
The ball has to apply the same amount of force opposite to the frictional force to keep its motion. Thus the ball is doing work against friction, which is the product of its force and the distance covered. All of the kinetic energy of the ball is consumed in doing work and the ball eventually stops. This proves that a body can do work due to kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of a body depends upon its mass and speed. The more the mass or speed of a body the more is its kinetic energy.

(2) Potential Energy

A stone lying on the ground does not possess the ability to do work. If that stone has to be moved up to a certain height, a force equal to the gravitational force will have to be applied on it. In other words, work has to be done on it. The work done will be stored in the stone as energy and it will gain the ability to do work. Now if the stone is released at this height, it will fall to the ground by itself doing work. The energy possessed by the stone at height is the potential energy.

(3) Elastic Potential Energy

When a spring is pressed, an elastic
potential energy is stored in it. When it is
released, it shoots up by itself and possesses the ability to do work. The energy stored in a body by pressing, stretching or twisting is known as elastic potential energy. If a piece of rubber or the rubber of a slingshot is stretched an elastic potential energy is stored in it.

(4) Chemical Energy

Sometimes, energy is emitted during chemical reactions. The source of this energy is the chemical bonds between atoms. When these bonds break, energy is released. In cells and batteries, chemical enerey transforms into electrical energy. The energy obtained by burning fuel in cars is also chemical energy. The energy obtained by our bodies by consuming food is also chemical energy.

(5) Heat Energy

Heat is also a form of energy. Heat energy is due to the movement of the molecules of
bodies. The faster the movement of molecules, the greater is the heat energy. The Sun is the largest source of heat energy. Burning of fuel is another source of heat energy. When current passes through the element of an electric heater or an electric iron, heat is produced.

(6) Light Energy

Light is another form of energy. We can see things with the help of light. Like heat, the
largest source of light is also Sun. When current passes through a bulb, it emits light. When electrons revolving around the nucleus jump from a higher energy orbit to a lower energy orbit, light is emitted. The leaves ot plants prepare food by photosynthesis. This process can not be done without light. All creatures on Earth are directly or indirectiy dependent upon the food made by plants.

(7) Electrical Energy

Electrical energy is the energy of moving charges. Electrical energy is used on large
scale, because it can be easily achieved and transferred from one place to another and can also be transformed into different forms of energy. We use energy obtained trom different sources by converting it into electrical energy. For this purpose, power stations are built that supply
electricity at far off places.

(8) Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is obtained by breaking the
nuclei of heavy atoms. The process is called nuclear fission. This process is done in a nuclear reactor where energy is released in the form of heat. This heat can be used to produce electricity. Energy is also released when the nuclei of small atoms fuse together. This is known as nuclear fusion. It is also nuclear energy. The heat and light coming from the Sun are released due to this process.