MIAT Physics Practice Test

Energy that depends on where something sits in a force field is potential energy. For example, lifting an object stores energy as gravitational potential energy—the higher it is, the more energy it has. When released, that energy can convert into kinetic energy as the object gains speed while moving under gravity. Kinetic energy comes from motion itself, not position; thermal energy relates to microscopic motion and temperature; chemical energy is stored in bonds between atoms and released during chemical reactions.