Energy is everywhere – from our very doorsteps to the deepest realms of the universe far, far away. It is present in the stars we see at night. It is present in explosive volcanic eruptions and tumbling waterfalls. It is present in plants and animals, including our very selves. It lets everything happen, from cooking scrambled eggs for breakfast to the formation of entire galaxies.

Where did all this energy come from? The correct answer would be 'from nothing.' Scientists believe that, billions of years ago, long before the Earth and even the universe was even formed, there was nothingness – nothing but 'emptiness' itself. Out of that formless void came 'The Big Bang,' a massive explosion that created all the mass and energy in our Universe in a fraction of a second (the blast caused the universe to start expanding – in fact, the universe is still expanding today). All the energy present in the current universe is that energy formed billions of years ago. This gives rise to the 'Theory of Conservation of Energy,' which states that energy is never created nor destroyed, but simply changed (converted) into another form.

Energy has many different forms in our lives. The energy that in a hot cup of coffee and the energy in your cell phone is obviously not the same form. Surprisingly, however, the realms of the form of energy is the same anywhere in the universe – in other words, the energy here on Earth is more or less the same type as that present in outer space. I will now go through the different forms of energy one by one.

Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion. It can be said that all moving objects have this type of energy, from your skateboard to planets orbiting around a star. When you kick a football, the chemical energy stored in your leg muscles is released into the ball and converted into kinetic energy, which flies far out and scores the winning goal of the World Cup.

Potential Energy: This is the energy that is stored in the position or shape of the object. When you pull a rubber band you are storing potential energy in the new shape of the rubber band when you let go, the rubber band?s shape returns back to normal, releasing the energy in kinetic form and hitting your friend on the back. A boulder high up in the mountains obviously has more energy compared to a boulder in a lower position. The energy that was spent in rolling the boulder up to the height is stored in form of potential energy this energy is converted to kinetic energy when it rolls back down.

Thermal (Heat) Energy: This is arguably the most abundant and ready energy in the Solar System. In science, heat is defined as the vibration and random movement of molecules in a given object. Greater movement of molecules means greater heat (of course, this movement may be seen as kinetic energy, but at a subatomic level we see it as a different quality). The average heat present in a molecule is defined as temperature generally, the greater the temperature, the greater the amount of heat present in the object as a whole. A hot-cup of tea has a higher temperature than iced tea, and therefore more heat (which is used to scorch your tongue if you drink it too hastily).

Heat can come from all sorts of things, sometimes a useful energy on its own, and sometimes a by-product of another conversion. When we use gas burners to boil water, we are converting chemical energy (present in the gas) to thermal energy, which is used to heat up water. When we're lifting weights, the energy stored in our muscles is released in a kinetic form, but a portion of the muscle energy is converted into heat in the process. This heat makes you hot and sweaty, which is pretty annoying, I suppose, but can also quickly warm your body up in a cold winter morning jog.

Chemical Energy: Energy stored in the chemical bonds between atoms. Most fuels we use daily, as well as food we eat, are all forms of chemical energy. In a car, the energy stored in the chemical bonds of gasoline molecules is released in form of heat, the exhaust of which powers the pistons and keep the wheels rolling. The sandwich you ate for lunch today is currently being digested in your body, the molecules being broken up and energy taken out and stored in your muscles to be used whenever necessary.

Nuclear Energy: This is the energy stored within the nucleus of atoms. The nucleus of an atom is made up of many smaller particles bonded together. When the nucleus is split, the energy in the bonds is released in a similar manner to chemical energy, usually in form of light and heat. However, nuclear energy is not released readily in nature (at least the nature on our Earth) compared to other forms of energy, and is harder to contain.

 

There is one type of energy that I have not mentioned, and that is Electrical Energy. Because the majority of the energy we use in our daily lives is electricity, I will take the whole next episode to talk about electricity. See you then!

 

Citation of Images:

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Alasdair Cant & Associates Ltd. 2012. Game, Set and Match? Digital image.ACA Newsletter – July 2011. Alasdair Cant & Associates, 2012. Web. 9 July 2014.

Roving Mind. Rubberband pulled. Digital image. Tat Tuesday. Blogger, 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 July 2014.

Digital image. A Cup of Tea Would Help You Better. Magic.net, 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 9 July 2014.

Nuclear Reaction. Digital image. Nuclear Reaction Alchemy Revealed!Alternative Energy Action Now.com, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014.

Natural Gas Burner. Digital image. Natural Gas. GOA, 2008. Web. 9 July 2014.