![\"66510](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/66510_Energy-SMART_subpage_bnr_1970x220_trans.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/div>\nLearn About Energy<\/h1><\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Print your certificate<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Print your certificate<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Resources Used to Make Electricity<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Electricity is Produced in Power Plants<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>View Activities & Experiments<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Comes in Many Forms<\/h2>\n
Can you imagine a world without energy<\/strong><\/span>? You wouldn’t be able to play computer games, ride a bicycle, or talk on the phone. Cars and trucks wouldn’t move. Lights wouldn’t shine. Plants wouldn’t grow. Without energy, nothing would happen!<\/p>\nEnergy is the ability to change or move matter.<\/strong><\/p>\nJust about everything you see, hear, and feel depends on energy. Energy comes in many forms.<\/p>\n
![\"Jelly](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/jelly_beans-150x150.jpg\")
Chemical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is energy that is released by a chemical reaction<\/strong><\/span>. The food you eat contains chemical energy that is released when you digest your meal. Wood, coal, gasoline, and natural gas are fuels that contain chemical energy. When these fuels are burned, the chemical energy is released as heat.<\/p>\n![\"Campfire\"](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/campfire-1-300x200.jpg\")
Radiant energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy that can move through empty space. The sun and stars are very powerful sources of radiant energy. The heat and light given off by light bulbs and campfires are also forms of radiant energy.<\/p>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/soccer_player-300x300.jpg\")
Mechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0moves objects from place to place. You use mechanical energy when you kick a ball or turn the pedals of a bicycle. Other examples of mechanical energy include water flowing in a stream or tires rolling down a road.<\/p>\nElectrical energy<\/strong><\/span> comes from the electrons within atoms. It can be created at a power plant or inside a battery, and can power everything from remote-controlled cars to refrigerators. Lightning and static electricity<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0are also forms of electrical energy.<\/p>\nNuclear energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy contained in the nucleus at the center of an atom. Nuclear energy is released when nuclei are split apart into several pieces, or when they are combined to form a single, larger nucleus.<\/p>\n![\"Nucleus](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/nucleus.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nMeet the Atom<\/h3>\n
An atom<\/strong><\/span> is the smallest unit of matter. Scientists so far have found 118 different kinds of atoms. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of these atoms. Every atom has a nucleus<\/strong> <\/span> in the center. Tiny particles called electrons<\/strong><\/span> travel around the nucleus. The flow of electrons produces electricity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Can Move and Change<\/h2>\n![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/kids_on_bikes.jpg\")
Energy can be transferred, or moved, from one object to another.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\nWhen you ride a bicycle, you transfer mechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0from your legs to the pedals. The pedals transfer the energy to the bicycle gears, which transfer the energy to the tires. The rolling tires move the bike along the street.<\/p>\nWhen a cat sits on a sunny windowsill, radiant energy<\/strong><\/span> from the sun is transferred through the window to the cat’s fur. The radiant energy heats up the fur and the cat’s body.<\/p>\nSuppose you eat a hamburger for lunch. Later that afternoon, you run in a race. Your body, through the digestive process, changes the chemical energy<\/strong><\/span> in the hamburger to the mechanical energy of your arms and legs so you can run.<\/p>\n![\"Making](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/toast-201x300.jpg\")
A toaster changes electrical energy to heat. Electricity flows into the toaster’s heating elements, which are made of wires. The flow of electricity heats the wires. Heat from the wire is transferred to the slice of bread. Up pops your toast!<\/p>\n
A car changes the chemical energy of gasoline to the mechanical energy of wheels turning. Inside a car’s engine, gasoline is burned in small bursts. Each burst of energy creates motion in the engine’s crankshaft<\/strong><\/span> and other moving parts. This motion is transferred to the wheels of the car, making them turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i>Print your certificate<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Print your certificate<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Resources Used to Make Electricity<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Electricity is Produced in Power Plants<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>View Activities & Experiments<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Comes in Many Forms<\/h2>\n
Can you imagine a world without energy<\/strong><\/span>? You wouldn’t be able to play computer games, ride a bicycle, or talk on the phone. Cars and trucks wouldn’t move. Lights wouldn’t shine. Plants wouldn’t grow. Without energy, nothing would happen!<\/p>\nEnergy is the ability to change or move matter.<\/strong><\/p>\nJust about everything you see, hear, and feel depends on energy. Energy comes in many forms.<\/p>\n
Chemical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is energy that is released by a chemical reaction<\/strong><\/span>. The food you eat contains chemical energy that is released when you digest your meal. Wood, coal, gasoline, and natural gas are fuels that contain chemical energy. When these fuels are burned, the chemical energy is released as heat.<\/p>\nRadiant energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy that can move through empty space. The sun and stars are very powerful sources of radiant energy. The heat and light given off by light bulbs and campfires are also forms of radiant energy.<\/p>\nMechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0moves objects from place to place. You use mechanical energy when you kick a ball or turn the pedals of a bicycle. Other examples of mechanical energy include water flowing in a stream or tires rolling down a road.<\/p>\nElectrical energy<\/strong><\/span> comes from the electrons within atoms. It can be created at a power plant or inside a battery, and can power everything from remote-controlled cars to refrigerators. Lightning and static electricity<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0are also forms of electrical energy.<\/p>\nNuclear energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy contained in the nucleus at the center of an atom. Nuclear energy is released when nuclei are split apart into several pieces, or when they are combined to form a single, larger nucleus.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nMeet the Atom<\/h3>\n
An atom<\/strong><\/span> is the smallest unit of matter. Scientists so far have found 118 different kinds of atoms. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of these atoms. Every atom has a nucleus<\/strong> <\/span> in the center. Tiny particles called electrons<\/strong><\/span> travel around the nucleus. The flow of electrons produces electricity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Can Move and Change<\/h2>\nEnergy can be transferred, or moved, from one object to another.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\nWhen you ride a bicycle, you transfer mechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0from your legs to the pedals. The pedals transfer the energy to the bicycle gears, which transfer the energy to the tires. The rolling tires move the bike along the street.<\/p>\nWhen a cat sits on a sunny windowsill, radiant energy<\/strong><\/span> from the sun is transferred through the window to the cat’s fur. The radiant energy heats up the fur and the cat’s body.<\/p>\nSuppose you eat a hamburger for lunch. Later that afternoon, you run in a race. Your body, through the digestive process, changes the chemical energy<\/strong><\/span> in the hamburger to the mechanical energy of your arms and legs so you can run.<\/p>\nA toaster changes electrical energy to heat. Electricity flows into the toaster’s heating elements, which are made of wires. The flow of electricity heats the wires. Heat from the wire is transferred to the slice of bread. Up pops your toast!<\/p>\n
A car changes the chemical energy of gasoline to the mechanical energy of wheels turning. Inside a car’s engine, gasoline is burned in small bursts. Each burst of energy creates motion in the engine’s crankshaft<\/strong><\/span> and other moving parts. This motion is transferred to the wheels of the car, making them turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i>Print your certificate<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Resources Used to Make Electricity<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>Electricity is Produced in Power Plants<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/i>View Activities & Experiments<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Comes in Many Forms<\/h2>\n
Can you imagine a world without energy<\/strong><\/span>? You wouldn’t be able to play computer games, ride a bicycle, or talk on the phone. Cars and trucks wouldn’t move. Lights wouldn’t shine. Plants wouldn’t grow. Without energy, nothing would happen!<\/p>\nEnergy is the ability to change or move matter.<\/strong><\/p>\nJust about everything you see, hear, and feel depends on energy. Energy comes in many forms.<\/p>\n
Chemical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is energy that is released by a chemical reaction<\/strong><\/span>. The food you eat contains chemical energy that is released when you digest your meal. Wood, coal, gasoline, and natural gas are fuels that contain chemical energy. When these fuels are burned, the chemical energy is released as heat.<\/p>\nRadiant energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy that can move through empty space. The sun and stars are very powerful sources of radiant energy. The heat and light given off by light bulbs and campfires are also forms of radiant energy.<\/p>\nMechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0moves objects from place to place. You use mechanical energy when you kick a ball or turn the pedals of a bicycle. Other examples of mechanical energy include water flowing in a stream or tires rolling down a road.<\/p>\nElectrical energy<\/strong><\/span> comes from the electrons within atoms. It can be created at a power plant or inside a battery, and can power everything from remote-controlled cars to refrigerators. Lightning and static electricity<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0are also forms of electrical energy.<\/p>\nNuclear energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy contained in the nucleus at the center of an atom. Nuclear energy is released when nuclei are split apart into several pieces, or when they are combined to form a single, larger nucleus.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nMeet the Atom<\/h3>\n
An atom<\/strong><\/span> is the smallest unit of matter. Scientists so far have found 118 different kinds of atoms. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of these atoms. Every atom has a nucleus<\/strong> <\/span> in the center. Tiny particles called electrons<\/strong><\/span> travel around the nucleus. The flow of electrons produces electricity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\nEnergy Can Move and Change<\/h2>\nEnergy can be transferred, or moved, from one object to another.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\nWhen you ride a bicycle, you transfer mechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0from your legs to the pedals. The pedals transfer the energy to the bicycle gears, which transfer the energy to the tires. The rolling tires move the bike along the street.<\/p>\nWhen a cat sits on a sunny windowsill, radiant energy<\/strong><\/span> from the sun is transferred through the window to the cat’s fur. The radiant energy heats up the fur and the cat’s body.<\/p>\nSuppose you eat a hamburger for lunch. Later that afternoon, you run in a race. Your body, through the digestive process, changes the chemical energy<\/strong><\/span> in the hamburger to the mechanical energy of your arms and legs so you can run.<\/p>\nA toaster changes electrical energy to heat. Electricity flows into the toaster’s heating elements, which are made of wires. The flow of electricity heats the wires. Heat from the wire is transferred to the slice of bread. Up pops your toast!<\/p>\n
A car changes the chemical energy of gasoline to the mechanical energy of wheels turning. Inside a car’s engine, gasoline is burned in small bursts. Each burst of energy creates motion in the engine’s crankshaft<\/strong><\/span> and other moving parts. This motion is transferred to the wheels of the car, making them turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li>
<\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li>
<\/i>Resources Used to Make Electricity<\/h4><\/a><\/li>
<\/i>Electricity is Produced in Power Plants<\/h4><\/a><\/li>
<\/i>View Activities & Experiments<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>
<\/i>Energy Comes in Many Forms<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>
\nEnergy Comes in Many Forms<\/h2>\n
Can you imagine a world without energy<\/strong><\/span>? You wouldn’t be able to play computer games, ride a bicycle, or talk on the phone. Cars and trucks wouldn’t move. Lights wouldn’t shine. Plants wouldn’t grow. Without energy, nothing would happen!<\/p>\n
Energy is the ability to change or move matter.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Just about everything you see, hear, and feel depends on energy. Energy comes in many forms.<\/p>\n
Chemical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0is energy that is released by a chemical reaction<\/strong><\/span>. The food you eat contains chemical energy that is released when you digest your meal. Wood, coal, gasoline, and natural gas are fuels that contain chemical energy. When these fuels are burned, the chemical energy is released as heat.<\/p>\nRadiant energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy that can move through empty space. The sun and stars are very powerful sources of radiant energy. The heat and light given off by light bulbs and campfires are also forms of radiant energy.<\/p>\nMechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0moves objects from place to place. You use mechanical energy when you kick a ball or turn the pedals of a bicycle. Other examples of mechanical energy include water flowing in a stream or tires rolling down a road.<\/p>\nElectrical energy<\/strong><\/span> comes from the electrons within atoms. It can be created at a power plant or inside a battery, and can power everything from remote-controlled cars to refrigerators. Lightning and static electricity<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0are also forms of electrical energy.<\/p>\nNuclear energy<\/strong><\/span> is energy contained in the nucleus at the center of an atom. Nuclear energy is released when nuclei are split apart into several pieces, or when they are combined to form a single, larger nucleus.<\/p>\n<\/h3>\nMeet the Atom<\/h3>\n
An atom<\/strong><\/span> is the smallest unit of matter. Scientists so far have found 118 different kinds of atoms. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of these atoms. Every atom has a nucleus<\/strong> <\/span> in the center. Tiny particles called electrons<\/strong><\/span> travel around the nucleus. The flow of electrons produces electricity.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i>Energy Can Move and Change<\/h4><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>
\nEnergy Can Move and Change<\/h2>\n
Energy can be transferred, or moved, from one object to another.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n
When you ride a bicycle, you transfer mechanical energy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0from your legs to the pedals. The pedals transfer the energy to the bicycle gears, which transfer the energy to the tires. The rolling tires move the bike along the street.<\/p>\n
When a cat sits on a sunny windowsill, radiant energy<\/strong><\/span> from the sun is transferred through the window to the cat’s fur. The radiant energy heats up the fur and the cat’s body.<\/p>\n
Suppose you eat a hamburger for lunch. Later that afternoon, you run in a race. Your body, through the digestive process, changes the chemical energy<\/strong><\/span> in the hamburger to the mechanical energy of your arms and legs so you can run.<\/p>\n
A toaster changes electrical energy to heat. Electricity flows into the toaster’s heating elements, which are made of wires. The flow of electricity heats the wires. Heat from the wire is transferred to the slice of bread. Up pops your toast!<\/p>\nA car changes the chemical energy of gasoline to the mechanical energy of wheels turning. Inside a car’s engine, gasoline is burned in small bursts. Each burst of energy creates motion in the engine’s crankshaft<\/strong><\/span> and other moving parts. This motion is transferred to the wheels of the car, making them turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>
![\"Coal\"](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/coal_pile-300x200.jpg\")
Nonrenewable Resources <\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Wind](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/wind_turbines-300x200.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Electricity](\"https:\/\/safety.duke-energy.com\/schools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/electricity_generators-300x261.jpg\")
Generators in power plants produce most of the electricity we use. Inside a generator, an energy source is used to turn the blades of a wheel called a