The Energy Story
| Energy Is Born | |
| Energy Types | |
| Energy Changes | |
| Energy Generation |
The Energy Problem
| Conservation of Energy | |
| Aging of Energy | |
| Finite Resources | |
| The Oil "Crisis" | |
| Energy Pollution | |
| Discussion Topics |
The Energy Solution
| Conserving Electricity | |
| Appliance Efficiency | |
| Heating Conservation | |
| Renewable Energy |
Energy Changes We have found so far that energy comes in a number of different forms and that we can make a list of 10 types of energy to help us identify and talk about energy. Not only does energy come in different types, but it is constantly changing from one type into another. As we will see, this changing from one type of energy to another is the basis for most of our household appliances, the design of our power plants, and how our body keeps itself going. Many science fiction stories have speculated that the ultimate form of life is in the form of pure energy. This property of energy to constantly change itself makes it seem almost alive. The information and exercises below will help you to understand and identify these energy changes.
Introductory Example The animation below requires the Macromedia flash player. If you don't see the animation, you can download and install the flash player from the following site: Download Flash Player As a first example of energy changing from one type to another, the animation below shows the pistons in a car engine. The gasoline fuel (chemical energy) is introduced and then ignited by the spark plug. The chemical energy that is released turns into the mechanical energy of the moving pistons.
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