Energy

Energy
Living things can't grow, reproduce, or exhibit any of the characteristics of life without a ready supply of energy.
Energy, which is the capacity to do work, occurs in many forms: light energy comes from the sun; electrical energy powers kitchen appliances; and heat energy warms our houses. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. All moving objects have kinetic energy. Thrown baseballs, falling water, and contracting muscles have kinetic energy. Potential energy is stored energy. Water behind a dam, or a rock at the top of a hill, or ATP, has potential energy that can be converted to kinetic energy. The energy of a chemical is in the interactions of atoms, one to the other, in the molecule.

Not only do chemicals have potential energy, they also have varying amounts of potential energy. Glucose has much more energy than its breakdown products, carbon dioxide and water.