Stored energy, or potential energy, can include which examples?

• A. Kinetic energy
• B. Gravity, elastic, and chemical energy
• C. Thermal energy
• D. Radiant energy

Answer: (B)

Potential energy is energy stored because of an object's position or the arrangement of a system. Gravity, elastic, and chemical energy are classic examples because each stores energy in a way that can be released later: gravitational potential energy increases when you lift an object higher in a gravitational field, elastic potential energy exists when a spring or rubber is stretched or compressed, and chemical potential energy sits in the bonds between atoms and is released during chemical reactions.

Kinetic energy, by contrast, is energy of motion, not stored. Thermal energy is related to temperature and the microscopic motion and interactions of particles, not a stored form in the same sense. Radiant energy is energy carried by light, which is a form of energy transfer rather than stored energy in the system.