Chapter 15
Solar Energy
The ability to cause a change in
matter.
• Energy
Energy due to an object’s condition
or position.
• Potential energy
• A girl rides in a roller coaster car to the top
of a hill.
• A vase wobbles on top of a china cabinet.
• A child waits her turn at the top of a slide.
Energy of motion
• Kinetic energy
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For example:
Soccer ball soars through the air.
A dog jumps to catch a stick.
A boy jumps and dives off the diving
board.
Stored energy that can be released
by a chemical reaction.
• Chemical energy
Direct transfer of thermal energy
from one object to another.
• Conduction
Transfer of thermal energy by the
movement of a gas or liquid
• Convection
Movement of thermal energy by
electromagnetic waves
radiation
Saving something so that it doesn’t
get used up.
• conservation
A wind-up car rolls across the floor.
• Mechanical energy
Solar Energy Vocabulary
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Mechanical energy
Chemical energy
Potential energy
Kinetic energy
Convection
Conservation
Energy
radiation