Energy, the capacity of a physical system to get work done. Energy comes in many forms. The three major forms of energy are kinetic and potential. Chemical energy is a form of potential energy and plays a big role in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Chemical energy is the energy held in the chemical bonds of various atoms and molecules. Kinetic energy is energy that is in motion. An example of kinetic energy would be sliding or tumbling down a big hill. Potential energy is energy created by the position of the human body to the surface of the earth or anything below. A perfect example of potetial energy is when a human climbs a ladder, he/she is creating potential energy due to the position of their body to the surface of the ground. |
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Kinetic Energy  Kinetic energy
is the energy of motion. Anything that has any sort of movement or moving parts
contains a various amount of kinetic energy. For example, take into mind a roller coaster. When do the cars have the greatest rate of motion? At the bottom
of the steepest drop within the ride. That is also where the highest amount of
kinetic energy would be found thought the entire ride. Because the highest rate
of motion is at that point and kinetic energy is the energy of motion, the
highest amount of kinetic energy is also at that exact point.
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Potential Energy  This form of energy has the potential to become kinetic energy at any time. Potential energy is the stored energy that the body has do to its position or structure. An example of this is base jumping. When a person is climbing up to the highest point on a building or on a bridge, they are creating potential energy by increasing the distance between them and the ground. A human standing on the surface of the earth has less potential energy because they are standing closer to the center of gravity of the earth than a human standing atop a building. All of that potential energy turns to kinetic energy when they are set into movement.
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Chemical Energy  Chemical energy is a type of potential energy in which the potential energy is stored in the chemical bonds of various molecules. One good example of chemical energy is ATP. The negative charges of the phosphate groups resist each other but they are chemically bonded. If that chemical bond were to break, all of the energy used to resist each other negatively charged phosphate group would be released. This is how some animals and plants get energy from ATP.  |
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