Energy Vocabulary Flashcards
Kinetic energy
The energy of a moving object has because of its motion.
Potential energy
Stored energy due to position is called potential energy.
Elastic potential energy
Energy stored by something that can stretch or compress, such as a rubber band or spring.
Chemical potential energy
Energy stored in chemical bonds.
Gravitational potential energy
Energy stored by objects due to their position above Earth’s surface.
Mechanical energy
The total amount of potential and kinetic energy in a system.
Law of conservation of energy
Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Work
Energy that occurred when a force makes an object move.
Power
The amount of work done in one second.
Machine
A device that makes doing work easier.
Input force
The force that is applied to an object
Output force
The force applied by the object.
Mechanical advantage
The ratio of the output force to the input force.
Efficiency
A measure of how much of the work put into a object is changed into useful output work by the object.
Simple machine
A machine that does work with only one movement of the machine.
Lever
A bar that is free to pivot or turn around a fixed point.
Pulley
A grooved wheel with a rope, chain, or cable running along the groove.
Wheel and axle
A shaft or axle attached to the center of a larger wheel.
Inclined plane
A ramp that reduces the amount of force required to do work.
Screw
an inclined plane wrapped in a spiral around a cylindrical post.
Wedge
an inclined plane with one or two sloping sides.
Compound machine
two or more simple machines that operate together.
