Energiformers

Energiformers, or forms of energy, are categories used in physics and engineering to describe the different manifestations of energy. Energy is a scalar quantity that can be stored, transferred, or transformed without changing the total amount in a closed system. Individual forms can be interconverted through physical processes, and the total energy, summed over all forms, is conserved according to the law of energy conservation.

Common energy forms include kinetic energy (energy of motion), potential energy (stored energy due to position, such as gravitational or elastic), thermal energy (related to microscopic motion and disorder), chemical energy (stored in chemical bonds), electrical energy (due to electric charges and fields), radiant energy (electromagnetic radiation such as light), nuclear energy (binding energy of atomic nuclei), and acoustic energy (sound).

In many practical contexts, energy accounting involves tracking energy flow and conversions, e.g., a light bulb converts electrical energy into radiant and thermal energy; photosynthesis stores radiant energy as chemical energy; a falling object converts potential energy to kinetic energy. Real processes involve losses through friction, resistance, or heat, so conversion is rarely perfectly efficient.

Units for energy are joules, with related rate units called watts. Understanding energiformers helps in designing systems, evaluating efficiency, and solving problems in physics, chemistry, and engineering.