What is energy? What is kinetic energy? What is potential energy? What is work?   Question: What is energy? Answer: Energy is the capacity to do work. Our energy comes from food, which contains stored chemical energy. Our bodies take the stored chemical energy and converts it to mechanical energy, heat energy or other forms of energy. Light, sound, heat, and electricity are forms of energy. Top   Question: What is kinetic energy? Answer: "Movement energy" is called kinetic energy. Objects that move have kinetic energy. The object may be a basketball or a tiny atom. Top   Question: What is potential energy? Answer: Potential energy is stored energy. An apple sitting on the edge of a table has stored potential energy. The potential energy changes to kinetic energy when the apple falls to the ground. A compressed spring has potential energy. That potential energy is converted to kinetic energy when the compressed spring is released. Top   Question: What is work? Answer: Work happens when a force moves something over a distance. The distance can be very long or very short. The object moved can be very large or it can be microscopic. Everything that does work uses energy: A growing tree uses energy. A person uses energy to move and grow. A toaster uses energy to make it brown the bread. A light bulb uses energy to glow and produce heat. Top Return to "Science questions and answers for kids" page For more information about Energy, consider Professor Beaker's Learning Unit about Energy: Energy in Our Lives

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