Lesson 1 of 9
Energy stores
Goal: Name the ways energy is stored.
Energy is stored in different ways. Each way is called an energy store.
Swipe to see five energy stores.
Kinetic store
Fills when an object speeds up.
Examples: A moving ball, a runner, a car on the road.
Gravitational potential store
Fills when an object is raised.
Examples: A roller coaster car at the top of a hill, a book on a high shelf.
Elastic store
Fills when a material is stretched or squashed.
Examples: A bent bow, a stretched rubber band, a squashed spring.
Chemical store
Empties when a fuel burns, when your body uses food or when a battery drives a current.
Examples: Food, batteries, and fuels such as petrol and wood.
Thermal store
Fills when an object is warmed up.
Examples: A hot toaster, a hot drink, a warm bath.
- Energy is measured in joules (J).
- A store fills or empties when something happens. Lift a ball and its gravitational potential store fills. Let it fall and that store empties.
- One object can have energy in several stores. A flying bird is moving and it is high up, so it has energy in its kinetic store and in its gravitational potential store.
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Key words in this lesson
Joule The unit of energy
Kinetic store Filled when an object speeds up
Gravitational potential store Filled when an object is raised
Elastic store Filled when a material is stretched or squashed
Chemical store The energy store in food, fuels and batteries
Thermal store Filled when an object is warmed up