Matter is basically anything that takes up
space. Anything in the universe that occupies space and has mass, is also
composed of matter. The amount of force that is required to give an object
some movement, or the resistance of that object, is a measure of its mass.
- Energy
- Energy is the capacity of doing work; where
work is the process of moving some matter against another opposing force.
Many forms of energy include: heat, electricity, and light.
The Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy says that matter cannot be
created nor destroyed. The total quantity of matter and energy that is in
the universe is constant.
Scientists recognize mainly two forms of energy; Kinetic and Potential.
Potential energy is basically matter that has the potential to do work. An
example would be, water on top of a waterfall, it has potential energy because
it is bound to fall down; or another example would be holding a book in the
air, it has the potential to also fall down.
Kinetic energy is basically matter that is in motion or doing work. An example
would be, water actually falling down in the waterfall from the top; or another
example would be, the book actually falling through the air. Below is a pendulum
demonstrating the increases and decreases of potential and kinetic energy.
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