Stored Energy – Introduction, Types and Examples

Introduction of Stored Energy

Energy exists in different forms.

All the objects in the photos, living or non-living, are in motion. They all have kinetic energy, as kinetic energy is the energy due to motion.

Look at the image of the man holding the child’s swing who is at a certain height.

The man has just done work. He pushed the child on the swing. The swing has stored energy. The swing is not moving. When the man lets the swing go, the stored energy will change to the energy of motion. The swing has stored energy due to its special position. This stored energy can change later into motion by doing some work.

Potential Energy:

Some objects that are not yet in motion also have a kind of energy. They have the ability to be in motion. In most cases, this ability comes from a special position or shape. An object has stored energy because of its position. For example, a rock at the top of a cliff or an apple on a tree has stored energy because they could fall. They fall because of the pull of gravity. The stored energy can be transferred into motion.

Another type of potential energy is related to the shape of an object. This energy is called elastic potential energy. This energy results when some objects are stretched or squeezed. For something to be elastic, it must have the ability to return to its same shape.

Chemical Energy:

A car and all vehicles cannot run without petrol or diesel. Computers, laptops, and some toys cannot work without batteries. Even we cannot work without eating food. Batteries, petrol, diesel, coal, and wood are examples of stored chemical energy. Food is also a good example of stored chemical energy. This energy is released during digestion.

Chemical energy is the energy that is stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules. When a chemical reaction occurs, this energy is released.

Food is also a good example of stored chemical energy. This energy is released during digestion.

Even we can’t work without eating food.

The chemicals that make-up food store the energy you need. Chemical changes take place in your body. The energy stored in food becomes the energy you need to work and grow.

A flashlight battery also stores energy. When you turn on the flashlight, chemical changes in the battery produce electrical energy to light the bulb. Computers, laptops, and some toys cannot work without batteries.

A car and all vehicles cannot run without petrol or diesel. Fuel for a car also has stored chemical energy. When the fuel burns, energy is given off. The energy makes the car work.

When you put gasoline in a car, the gasoline contains chemical energy; when the car’s engine burns the gasoline, it changes the chemical energy to kinetic energy or movement, and that is what makes the car go.