Types of Energy
There are two types of energy:
Kinetic Energy is energy in motion. Moving water and wind are examples of kinetic energy. Electricity is kinetic energy because, even though you can't see it happen, electricity involves electrons moving in a conductor.
Potential Energy is stored (or latent). Energy can be stored in many ways. A gallon of gasoline or a barrel of oil contains stored energy that can be released when we burn it. A lake in the mountains contains "stored" energy because, if it were released, it would do a lot of "work" on objects caught in its path. When we talk about oil, coal, wood, or gas, we are talking about "stored" energy.
Energy can be changed from one type to another. An example is a car being driven up a hill, during which time it is demonstrating kinetic energy or energy in motion. When it sits on the top of the hill it has potential, or stored energy. If it is then allowed to roll back down the hill the potential energy changes again into kinetic energy. A law of physics says that energy can be neither created nor destroyed, but it can change back and forth between forms.
Mechanical Energy is the energy of motion that does the work, like the wind turning a windmill.
Heat Energy is caused by the motion of matter. As the particles of matter absorb energy from their surroundings, a thermometer will measure the energy taken in as a rise in temperature. You warm as your body and clothing absorb heat energy given off by burning wood in your fireplace.
Chemical Energy is the chemical
Electrical Energy is when motion, light or heat
Gravitational Energy is the energy an object has due to a change in its position. Water in a lake behind a dam has potential energy because it is higher than the stream on the other side of the dam. When gravity pushes the water through the gates at the bottom of the dam, energy is released. Once the water gets down the hill, it has lost much of its gravitational energy.
Copyright © 2009 Apogee | Acknowledgements
Kids Korner is made possible by the creative, talented and dedicated team consisting of the following:
Valerie Williams, Apogee’s Art Director and Lead Artist is the creator and artistic talent behind Kids Korner. In the late 90s, after producing hundreds of illustrations and animations for Apogee online courses and Internet content over the years, it occurred to Valerie that these expensive art elements could be re-purposed for communicating complicated energy concepts to children. Encouraged by the enthusiastic reaction she received from our utility customers, Valerie undertook the design and began the curriculum development of what has become one of the most elaborate and comprehensive energy education sites around. As the site shows, her artistic flair brings technical topics to life, and her proficiency in Photoshop, Quark, In-Design, Illustrator, Flash and Dreamweaver enable her to create impressive designs in both electronic and print formats.
Margaret M. Aderholdt, a middle school teacher at Wellborn Elementary in Anniston, Alabama, leads Apogee’s teacher advisory group. In this capacity, she is the spokesperson for the group, providing input to the curriculum developed for Kids Korner and kid-testing any support materials designed for use with the site prior to them going into production and distributed to customers or schools. With more than 16 years teaching experience, Margaret has been awarded numerous grants and honors for herself and the various schools at which she has instructed. Most recently, she was named the 2004 Teacher of the Year for her outstanding work increasing her student’s test scores, expanding their involvement in academic pursuits, and her tireless efforts to stimulate and challenge her students to higher achievement. Margaret spends her summers attending professional development conferences, workshops, and classes to stay abreast of the latest research in science education. Margaret earned her B.A. in Business Administration at Transylvania University and holds a masters degree in International Commerce from the University of Kentucky. After raising two college age daughters, Margaret returned to the classroom herself to earn a masters degree in Elementary Education.
Michael Overstreet is Apogee’s Kids Korner Product Manager and the mastermind of the site’s programming and navigational design. In his role as product manager, Michael assists utilities with the implementation of their customized Kids Korner application. In addition, he leads Apogee’s field testing of all Kids Korner website activities and supplemental material, conducting classroom trials in local schools.
Susan Gilbert brings to Kids Korner and its growing number of support materials her education and experience as an instructional designer and her enthusiasm for energy education. As president and co-founder of Apogee, Susan is the primary architect behind Apogee’s online energy courses and web content divisions, effectively translating her nearly 25 years of energy efficiency and training experience into highly interactive, online training courseware and Web site tools. Drawing upon her masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Susan directs the instructional design process for all Apogee eLearning initiatives, including her personal favorite, Kids Korner.
Dick Niess is Kids Korner’s technical reviewer responsible for assuring accuracy and clarity of the concepts covered on the site. A distinguished Tau Beta Pi graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Mr. Niess earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. Mr. Niess is a Fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is immediate past Chairman of the Applied Heat Pump and Heat Recovery Technical Committee, and serves on the Geothermal Energy Utilization and Centrifugal Machines Technical Committees. He is a repeat contributor to the ASHRAE Systems Handbook, and has authored numerous technical publications for the energy industry.