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Tracking Energy Down to the Source

 

Short answer: chemical (sugar) -> potential -> kinetic -> heat

Long answer: But where did the sugar come from? sunlight -> sugar (photosynthesis in plants) Sometimes we eat sugar directly, or its energy is converted into similar chemicals like starch and other carbohydrates.

 

Short answer: electrical -> thermal and light -> thermal

Long answer: But where did the electricity come from? Backtrack, assuming the electricity came from a coal-fired generator and ultimately the sun (long time ago) -> chemical (from decaying plants that are formed into coal) -> chemical (burning of coal to make the steam to turn the turbine) -> heat -> kinetic (rotating shaft of the electrical turbine that produces the electricity) -> electricity -> thermal and light (when a lamp is turned on)

Even longer answer: Backtrack assuming nuclear plant: nuclear energy -> heat -> kinetic -> electricity -> thermal and light -> thermal


***Note how everything ends in thermal. Any form of energy can be converted to heat. This provides a way of comparing different kinds of energy.

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