What Is Energy?

Energy is the ability to do work. Every time you lift a chair or walk to school, you use energy. When you eat a sandwich, your body gets energy. It changes the energy stored in the sandwich into energy for your body. Your body uses that energy to do work. The bus that drives you to school burns gasoline energy to do work. You are burning energy right now by reading this Web site!

The two basic types of energy are potential energy and kinetic energy. Potential energy is work that a thing might do. A rock sitting on top of a hill has potential energy because it could roll down the hill. Kinetic energy is moving energy. A rock rolling down the hill has kinetic energy because it is moving. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy has always existed in one form or another.