ENERGY STUDY GUIDE
By Vasu Jayanthi

ENERGY: Something that has the ability to cause change
•	Energy is NOT force!
•	Energy is NOT matter!
•	Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. (Law of Conservation of Energy)
Energy can be transformed through forces.
Energy can be transferred to various mediums.
Kinetic Energy: The energy of movement
•	Speed and mass affect KE
•	KE=1/2m*v2
Gravitational Potential Energy: Has the potential to become kinetic energy; energy in its resting phase
•	Height and mass affect GPE
Heat Energy: Random kinetic energy of the particles that make up a substance or object
•	Also known as thermal energy
•	Friction: The force that changes kinetic energy into heat energy
•	Temperature: The measure of the average random kinetic energy
•	Determined by mass and temperature
•	Heat does NOT rise!
•	Specific Heat: The amount of heat needed to change the temperature of 1 unit of any certain substance by 1°C
•	Calorie: The amount of heat needed to change the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C
•	Conduction, convection, radiation
Chemical Energy: Energy caused by chemical reactions
•	Ex. Food getting broken down by stomach acids
•	Energy stored in chemical bonds of molecules
The Particle Model: All matter is made up of particles
Conduction: Heat energy moving through solids
•	Being heated one layer at a time, and the layers transfer energy to the next layers
Convection: Heat energy moving through liquids and gases 
Radiation: Heat energy being transferred through waves

Electromagnetic Spectrum: The name given to the different types of radiation

•	Radio Waves: The longest wavelength, with the lowest frequency and lowest energy, can be used to learn what certain things such as stars are made out of
•	Microwaves: Found in microwaves (like in your kitchen!)
•	Infrared Rays: Emitted by our bodies, which allow Night Vision goggles to detect our bodies in the dark; the way that remote controls work
•	Visible Light Spectrum: The only part of the EM spectrum that the human eye can see
•	Composed of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet 
•	White light is composed of these colors; together these make white
•	Something that appears to be a certain color absorbs all the color and reflects one color, making it appear a certain way.
•	Ex. A red stop sign absorbs orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, but reflects red
•	Ultraviolet Rays: The heat emitted by the sun, that causes skin to burn
•	X-Rays: Can be used by doctors to see bones and teeth
•	Gamma Rays: The shortest wavelength, with the highest frequency and the highest energy (turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk!)

Wave: Organized movement of energy 
•	Mechanical: Requires a medium, such as sound, or a water wave
•	Electromagnetic: Can travel through air and the vacuum of outer space
Frequency: The rate at which a wave travels
Hertz: A unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second
Longitudinal Waves: A wave where the energy moves parallel to the particles
•	Ex. Sound travels longitudinally 
Infrasonic: Waves of frequency lower than 20 Hz; can’t be detected by humans
Ultrasonic: Waves of frequency higher than 20,000 Hz; can’t be detected by humans
Transverse Wave: A wave where the particles move perpendicularly to the movement of the energy
•	Ex. Light travels in transverse waves

Parts of a (Transverse) Wave: 

Remember: Energy is not made up of particles, but particles can hold energy.
Photon: A massless particle that travels at the speed of light
Laser Beam Diagram:

Photosynthesis: The process by which plants make energy for themselves
•	CO2+Water                                     Oxygen+Glucose
•	Occurs in chloroplasts of plant cells
•	Autotrophy
Reactants: 
(Carbon Dioxide)
(Water)

Products:
(Oxygen)

(Glucose)

Cellular Respiration: The process by which all organisms make energy in their cells
•	Glucose+Oxygen                                   Carbon Dioxide+Water
•	Takes place in the mitochondria of the cell
The Sun: The source of all energy in an ecosystem
Producer: Autotrophs that take their energy directly from the sun, primarily plants, some protists, and few bacteria
Consumer: Rely on other organisms for their food, heterotrophs
•	Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores
•	Primary consumers (organisms that eat producers)
•	Secondary 
•	Tertiary
•	Quaternary
•	Decomposers: A type of consumer that feeds on dead organisms- mostly fungi and bacteria
Energy Pyramid:

 First Twenty Elements of the Periodic Table:
Harry Heard LibBey B. CaN OFtNe NaMge All Significant People South of ClArK, California. 
•	
•	Hydrogen (H)
•	Helium (He)
•	Lithium (Li)
•	Beryllium (Be)
•	Boron (B)
•	Carbon (C)
•	Nitrogen (N)
•	Oxygen (O)
•	Fluorine (F)
•	Neon (Ne)
•	Sodium (Na)
•	Magnesium (Mg)
•	Aluminum (Al)
•	Silicon (Si)
•	Phosphorus (P)
•	Sulfur (S)
•	Chlorine (Cl)
•	Argon (Ar)
•	Potassium (K)
•	Calcium (Ca)