What is energy?

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These sites are great energy-focused resources for educators and students. 

Energy is in everything we do. Making a jump shot, baking cookies, turning on a light, and sending astronauts into space all take energy. It’s what makes things happen.

Think of energy like a fuel. Just like a car needs to go, we need energy to move and do stuff. If something moves, heats up, makes noise, or lights up, energy is at work!

  • You get energy from food. That’s why you eat breakfast before school!

  • Toys get energy from batteries.

  • Lamps get energy from electricity.

 

Types of energy:

There are different kinds of energy:

  • Light energy – like from the Sun or a flashlight.

  • Heat energy – like from a fire or stove.

  • Sound energy – like when you clap or play music.

  • Movement energy (kinetic) – like when you’re running or jumping.

  • Stored energy (potential) – like a stretched rubber band waiting to snap!

Electricity

Here’s a fun, simple experiment:

    • Hold a ball high up, then drop it. 

    • When you hold it, it has potential energy.

    • When it falls, it has kinetic energy.

    • When it hits the ground: it might make a sound — more energy!

What is Electricity?

Electricity is a kind of energy that moves through wires and makes things work — like lights, TVs, computers, and even video games!

Electricity is like an invisible power that travels through wires like water flows through a hose.
When it gets to something like a lamp or a phone, it gives it the power to turn on.

 

Where Does It Come From?

  • Big power plants make electricity.

  • It travels through power lines, built by your electric cooperative or another utility, to your home.

  • It comes into your house through outlets — where you plug things in.

 

Why Is Electricity Important?

Because it:

  • Lights up our rooms

  • Heats or cools our homes

  • Powers fridges to keep food cold

  • Charges tablets and phones

Without electricity, we’d be using candles, fans, and iceboxes like people did a long time ago!