Mass

Energy

Snow, rain, sleet, ice, steam, hail. These are some of the many names we give to water. No matter whether the water molecules are bonded to one another or separate giving it a strikingly different appearance, it is still nothing other than water. We have lots of different names for energy too, despite them all being the same fundamental thing. We have potential energy, kinetic energy, chemical energy, electrical energy plus heat, light and radiation. All these categories of energy are based on the same inherent properties of the true atom. Ultimately, energy is the will to make true atoms change velocity.

A ball sitting on your desk is attracted to the moon and the Earth. More so to the Earth principally because it is closer, rather than because it contains six times the number of true atoms. That attraction places pressure on the table. As the table is higher than the surface of the earth, there is what we call potential energy stored in the ball. There is a pressure force acting on the ball willing it to change velocity. The table prevents it from doing so. Potential energy is the potential to make atoms move – change velocity.

If the ball were to move freely towards the Earth it will accelerate. The attraction encourages the true atoms to change velocity, in this case get faster in the direction towards the centre of the earth. As it accelerates it is said to obtain more and more kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the potential to make other true atoms change velocity when they interact – collide with one another.

When the ball hits the floor, true atoms in the floor will either be moved or made to vibrate more vigorously. Heat and sound are produced. That increase in vibration level is heat. Some of the vibrations will be transferred to air molecules making those vibrate and move. The pressure applied to those air molecules is sound. Once again nothing more happens other than a change to the velocity of true atoms.

Those moving air atoms can make other true atoms change velocity as they radiate away from the disturbance. The vibrations in the floor described as heat will also provide a potential for other true atoms to change velocity - relative speed in a certain direction. We think of the types of energy as being distinct, yet all are fundamentally the same. Energy is the force potential to make true atoms change their position or oscillate/vibrate at a greater relative rate.

Chemical potential energy is that stored in the structure of groups of atoms. The construction and destruction of structure leads to true atoms vibrating more or changing velocity. A chemical reaction may produce heat, light and movement. All of which are changes in velocity of true atoms. A chemical reaction is not particularly different to a ball stuck on a table. One might consider chemical bonds akin to springs, levers and other mechanics. Movements, potential to move, forces to incite movement. If the ball were to be made heavier, namely have a greater mass effect the ball will break through the table surface. Chemical explosions are very much like that. Ultimately, atoms changing velocity.