Illustrate an example of how energy can change from one form to another. Label your illustration with at least 2 types of energy.
Sure! Here is an example illustrating how energy can change from one form to another:
[Diagram]
In this example, let's consider the process of a car accelerating up a hill.
1. Chemical Energy (Stored as fuel in the car): The car initially possesses chemical energy stored in its fuel tank.
2. Mechanical Energy: As the driver starts the car's engine, the chemical energy from the fuel is converted into mechanical energy through combustion within the engine. This mechanical energy is used to power the car's wheels and allow it to move. So, the chemical energy is transformed into mechanical energy.
3. Kinetic Energy: As the car accelerates up the hill, the mechanical energy of the car's engine is further transformed into kinetic energy. The car gains speed, and its motion can be associated with kinetic energy.
4. Gravitational Potential Energy: As the car reaches the peak of the hill, some of its kinetic energy is converted into gravitational potential energy. This occurs due to the car's increased height above the ground. The car now holds potential energy due to its position in the Earth's gravitational field.
5. Mechanical Energy: As the car descends the hill on the other side, the gravitational potential energy is transformed back into kinetic energy. The car gains speed during the descent, and the potential energy is converted once again into mechanical energy.
6. Thermal Energy: Also, during the car's operation, some of the mechanical energy generated is lost as waste heat expelled from the car's engine and exhaust system. This waste heat represents thermal energy, which is essentially a form of kinetic energy on the atomic level due to the motion of particles.
Therefore, in this example, energy is transformed from chemical energy to mechanical energy, then to kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and back to kinetic energy. Additionally, a small portion is dissipated as thermal energy.