Which statement about energy forms is true?

Which statement about energy forms is true?

• A. Kinetic energy is always greater than potential energy.
• B. Potential energy is never converted to kinetic energy.
• C. Energy can be transformed from one form to another.
• D. Conservation of energy means energy increases in a closed system.

Answer: (C)

Energy can change from one form to another, and in a closed system the total amount of energy stays the same. This idea explains why the same energy can appear in different ways in different situations. For example, a ball at the top of a hill has potential energy because of its height, and as it rolls down, that potential energy becomes kinetic energy, making it move faster. A light bulb converts electrical energy into light and thermal energy. In photosynthesis, light energy from the sun becomes chemical energy stored in sugars. These examples show energy transforming rather than being created or destroyed. The other statements don’t fit because: kinetic energy is not always greater than potential energy; a stationary object at height can have more potential energy than kinetic, and energy can transfer between forms. Also, conservation of energy means the total energy in a closed system stays constant, not that energy increases.

Energy can change from one form to another, and in a closed system the total amount of energy stays the same. This idea explains why the same energy can appear in different ways in different situations. For example, a ball at the top of a hill has potential energy because of its height, and as it rolls down, that potential energy becomes kinetic energy, making it move faster. A light bulb converts electrical energy into light and thermal energy. In photosynthesis, light energy from the sun becomes chemical energy stored in sugars. These examples show energy transforming rather than being created or destroyed.

The other statements don’t fit because: kinetic energy is not always greater than potential energy; a stationary object at height can have more potential energy than kinetic, and energy can transfer between forms. Also, conservation of energy means the total energy in a closed system stays constant, not that energy increases.