The mechanisms in the speaker are generating what you experience as sound. Stereo speakers: If you place your hand on a speaker, particularly one that is playing loudly, you'll also feel it vibrate.You'll feel the vibrations (movement) of your vocal cords. Your voice: Speak at a normal volume while placing your fingers on your throat.The object creating the sound creates waves of movement through a medium, like air, until it reaches our eardrums, which then vibrate and our brain interprets that as sound. The human experience of sound is caused by vibrations. A running car engine: Have you ever been near the engine of a car while the motor is running? The warmth that you feel emanating from the engine is an example of thermal energy.

The individual water molecules are moving more quickly, building up pressure until the water bursts through in the form of a geyser. The geothermal energy of the earth heats up groundwater and turns it into steam. Geysers: You know Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park? The geyser is a terrific example of thermal energy at work.On a microscopic level, the individual water molecules are equally active. If you heat water to a rolling boil on the stove, like when cooking pasta, you can see the active, kinetic energy of the very hot water. Boiling water: Visually, boiling water is perhaps one of the better examples of thermal energy.The molecules that make up the pizza are moving more quickly when the pizza is piping hot. Baking in an oven: When you place a frozen pizza in the oven, you are heating it up and raising its temperature.This warmth can then be harnessed to heat and cool homes, as well as generate electricity. Geothermal energy: A great example of a renewable resource, geothermal energy comes from the decay of natural minerals and the volcanic action of the earth.That motion is why thermal energy is considered an example of kinetic energy, even if you may not be able to see that motion with the naked eye. The difference is that while radiant energy refers to waves or particles, thermal energy describes the level of activity among the atoms and molecules in an object.Īs they move more quickly, they collide more frequently with one another. Thermal energy is similar to radiant energy in that both can be experienced in the form of heat or warmth. Sunshine: Have you ever stood outside on a warm, sunny day? Did you notice that it is hotter out in the sun than it is in the shade? That's because you're experiencing radiant energy from the sun's rays!.

That's how radio stations are able to transmit their programming across vast distances.

Radio signals: Similar to x-rays, radio waves also travel in the form of waves.

Electric toaster: As the heating elements inside the toaster get warmer, they emit radiant energy that heats and toasts the bread.X-rays: Just as visible light travels in waves, so do electromagnetic waves beyond the visible spectrum.Both of those are forms of radiant energy. There is the visible light that you see, as well as the warmth that it generates. Incandescent light bulb: When you turn on a light with a traditional incandescent light bulb, it gives off two forms of energy.The energy is created through electromagnetic waves and is most commonly experienced by humans in the form of heat. Radiant energy is a type of kinetic energy, referring to energy that travels by waves or particles.

Electromagnetic radiant energy examples