/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10567251
There are two kinds of energy, potential and kinetic. Potential energy is energy of position, kinetic energy is energy of motion.

In a gravitational field, the higher you lift something, the more gravitational potential energy you give it. When you release the object, all the potential energy converts to kinetic energy (minus a small loss to friction, or entropy).

In an electric field, when you separate unlike charges (or conversely bring like charges together), you give them electrical potential energy. You can also cause this by "lifting" a charged particle to a higher electrical potential (voltage) and letting it "fall" through a wire to a lower electrical potential (ground). This is how electric current works. As the charged particle is "released" (circuit completed) it's charge falls through the wire from positive to negative poles on the battery. In the process of current flow, the charge's electrical potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, which is moving charge, which is a current.

In general relativitity, mass is potential energy (i.e. stored energy), and velocity is kinetic energy. As mass is converted from potential to kinetic, it is consumed, and turned into energy (as with the "mass defect" in a nuclear explosion).