Energy Conservation

What Is Energy Conservation?

• Energy conservation means that the total amount of energy in a closed system remains constant, although it can change from one form to another.
• Law of Conservation of Energy: This law, a fundamental concept in physics, states that energy cannot be created or destroyed—only transformed.
• Energy in Daily Life: Whether you’re heating food in a microwave or riding a bike, energy is constantly shifting forms—often unnoticed but essential to everything we do!
• Closed Systems: A closed system is a physical system that doesn’t exchange energy with its surroundings. In such systems, the total energy remains unchanged, no matter the changes inside.

How Does Energy Transform?

Energy Transformations: Energy can change from one type to another—like electrical energy turning into light and heat when we switch on a lamp. Let’s look at some types of energy.

• Kinetic Energy: The energy of motion (e.g., a moving car).
• Potential Energy: Stored energy (e.g., a rock sitting at the edge of a cliff).
• Thermal Energy: Heat energy (e.g., heat from a stove).
• Chemical Energy: Energy stored in bonds of molecules (e.g., food or fuel).

Real-Life Examples:

• When we eat food, chemical energy is converted into kinetic energy for movement.
• A roller coaster converts potential energy at the top into kinetic energy as it races down.

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting facts about energy conservation:

• When you turn on a light bulb, only about 10% of the energy becomes light, while the rest turns into heat!
• The sun provides Earth with enormous amounts of energy, but we only capture a tiny fraction through solar panels.
• Recycling materials like aluminum saves 95% of the energy required to produce the same material from raw resources.
• A lightning bolt can release as much energy as 10 million household batteries. Energy is transferred from electrical energy in the atmosphere to light, sound, and heat!

Review

Let’s quickly recap what we learned about energy conservation:

• What happens to 90% of the energy when you turn on a light bulb? Transformed Into Heat
• What kind of energy does a roller coaster have at the top of a hill? Potential Energy
• Can energy be created or destroyed? No
• What is the law that states energy remains constant in a closed system? Law of Conservation Of Energy