What Are the Four Forms of Energy Around Us?

What You'll Learn

• Mechanical energy is the energy of motion -- something moving, or being pushed or pulled.
• Light energy is energy you can see, like sunshine or a flashlight beam.
• Thermal energy is the energy of heat -- how warm or hot something is.
• Sound energy is made of vibrations shaking the air, which our ears detect.
• One event (like a fire) can produce more than one form of energy at the same time.

Words to Know

Energy

The "power" that lets something move, glow, warm up, or make a sound

A stretched rubber band has energy waiting to snap!

Mechanical energy

The energy of something MOVING, or being pushed or pulled

A rolling skateboard has mechanical energy

Light energy

Energy you can SEE, like a glow or a beam

Sunshine and flashlights make light energy

Thermal energy

The energy of HEAT — how warm or hot something is

A campfire or a cup of hot cocoa has thermal energy

Sound energy

Invisible vibrations shaking the air that your ears can hear

A clap or a drum beat makes sound energy

Vibration

A fast back-and-forth wiggle, often too quick to easily see

A guitar string vibrates when you pluck it

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to travel the 93 million miles from the Sun to Earth

  Source: NASA

• For a split second, a lightning bolt reaches temperatures roughly five times hotter than the surface of the Sun

  Source: NOAA

• Sound is made of vibrations traveling through the air; most people can hear vibrations happening between about 20 and 20,000 times per second

  Source: NIH/NIDCD

• A campfire converts the chemical energy stored in wood into thermal (heat), light, sound, and some mechanical energy (crackling, shifting logs) all at the same time

  Source: U.S. Department of Energy — combustion/energy transformation basics