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ENERGY AND ITS FORMS

In physics, energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to an object in order to
perform work on, or to heat, the object.
[1] Energy is a conserved quantity; the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be
converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The SI unit of energy is the joule, which is the energy
transferred to an object by the work of moving it a distance of 1 metre against a force of 1 newton.

Common forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy
stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), the elastic energy stored by
stretching solid objects, the chemical energy released when a fuel burns, the radiant energy carried by light,
and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature.

Mass and energy are closely related. Due to mass–energy equivalence, any object that has mass when
stationary (called rest mass) also has an equivalent amount of energy whose form is called rest energy, and
any additional energy (of any form) acquired by the object above that rest energy will increase the object's
total mass just as it increases its total energy. For example, after heating an object, its increase in energy could
be measured as a small increase in mass, with a sensitive enough scale.

Living organisms require available energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food.
Human civilization requires energy to function, which it gets from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear
fuel, or renewable energy. The processes of Earth's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy
Earth receives from the sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth.

Energy exists in many different forms. Examples of these are: light energy, heat energy, mechanical
energy, gravitational energy, electrical energy, sound energy, chemical energy, nuclear or atomic energy and
so on. Each form can be converted or changed into the other forms.

Although there are many specific types of energy, the two major forms are Kinetic Energy and Potential
Energy.

1. Kinetic energy is the energy in moving objects or mass. Examples include mechanical energy,
electrical energy etc.
2. Potential energy is any form of energy that has stored potential that can be put to future use.
Examples include nuclear energy, chemical energy, etc.

3. Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (atoms and
molecules).Chemical energy is released in a chemical reaction, often in the form of heat. For example, we use
the chemical energy in fuels like wood, coal by burning them.

4. Electrical energy is the energy carried by moving electrons in an electric conductor. It is one of the
most common and useful forms of energy. Example – Lightening. Other forms of energy are also converted to
electrical energy. For example, power plants convert chemical energy stored in fuels like coal into electricity
through various changes in its form.

5. Mechanical energy is the energy a substance or system has because of its motion. For example
machines use mechanical energy to do work.

6. Thermal energy is the energy a substance or system has related to its temperature, i.e., the energy
of moving or vibrating molecules. For example, we use the solar radiation to cook food.

7. Nuclear energy is the energy that is trapped inside each atom. Nuclear energy can be produced
either by the fusion (combining atoms) or fission (splitting of atoms) process. The fission process is the widely
used method.
Uranium is the key raw material. Uranium is mined from many places around the world. It is
processed (to get enriched uranium, i.e. the radioactive isotope) into tiny pellets. These pellets are loaded into
long rods that are put into the power plant's reactor. Inside the reactor of an atomic power plant, uranium
atoms are split apart in controlled chain reaction. Other fissile material includes plutonium and thorium.

In a chain reaction, particles released by the splitting of the atom strike other uranium atoms and split
them. The particles released by this further split other atoms in a chain process. In nuclear power plants,
control rods are used to keep the splitting regulated, so that it does not occur too fast. These are called
moderators.

The chain reaction gives off heat energy. This heat energy is used to boil heavy water in the core of the
reactor. So, instead of burning a fuel, nuclear power plants use the energy released by the chain reaction to
change the energy of atoms into heat energy. The heavy water from around the nuclear core is sent to
another section of the power plant. Here it heats another set of pipes filled with water to make steam. The
steam in this second set of pipes rotates a turbine to generate electricity.

Pros and cons of nuclear power


Advantages:

Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The contribution
of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little.
It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.

Disadvantages:

The problem of safe disposal of radioactive waste exists


There exists high risks and the consequences of damage is great when accidents happen
The raw material Uranium is a scarce resource. Its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60
years, depending on the actual demand.
There are thirty five countries including India in the world which generate electricity from nuclear
source. According to the data published in March 2017, by Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) of
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), India is ranked at 13th position in terms of power generation.
However, it stood at 7th position in terms of number of reactors in operation country- wise, globally.

The current installed nuclear power capacity is 6780 MWe. At present there are 22 nuclear power
reactors. The installed capacity is expected to increase gradually, to 22,480 MW (including PFBR, 500 MW
being implemented by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited [BHAVINI]) by 2031 on progressive
completion of projects under construction and accorded administrative approval & financial sanction by the
Government of India. The average tariff of nuclear power in the financial year 2016-17 was Rs 2.95 per unit.

8. Gravitational energy is that energy held by an object in a gravitational field. Examples include water
flowing down a waterfall.

Prepared by:

MARYJANE C. MONTIQUILLA
Science teacher

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