Energy Concepts
15 concepts · Grades 6-8, 9-12 · 17 prerequisite connections
Energy ties together motion, forces, and heat into one unifying framework. The central insight is conservation: energy is never created or destroyed, only transformed. A roller coaster converts potential energy at the top into kinetic energy at the bottom; a bouncing ball loses mechanical energy to thermal energy with each bounce. This family spans kinetic and potential energy, work and power, and connects forward into thermodynamics and fields.
This family view narrows the full physics map to one connected cluster. Read it from left to right: earlier nodes support later ones, and dense middle sections usually mark the concepts that hold the largest share of future work together.
Use the graph to plan review, then use the full concept list below to open precise pages for definitions, examples, formulas, and related guides.
Concept Dependency Graph
Concepts flow left to right, from foundational to advanced. Hover to highlight connections. Click any concept to learn more.
Connected Families
Energy concepts have 17 connections to other families.
All Energy Concepts
Energy
The capacity to do work or cause change in a physical system, measured in joules.
Work
The transfer of energy that occurs when a force causes an object to move through a distance in the direction of the force, calculated as the dot product of force and displacement vectors.
Kinetic Energy
The energy an object possesses by virtue of its motion, depending on both mass and velocity.
Potential Energy
Energy stored in a system due to the position or configuration of its parts, ready to be released.
Gravitational Potential Energy
Energy stored in an object due to its height above a chosen reference point in a gravitational field.
Elastic Potential Energy
Energy stored in an elastic object that has been stretched or compressed from its natural length.
Conservation of Energy
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
Work-Energy Theorem
The net work done on an object equals the change in its kinetic energy — the bridge between force and motion.
Power
The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, measured in watts (joules per second).
Mechanical Energy
The total of kinetic energy and potential energy in a mechanical system at any given moment.
Efficiency
The ratio of useful output energy to total input energy, expressed as a percentage showing how little is wasted.
Simple Harmonic Motion
Repetitive back-and-forth motion where the restoring force is proportional to displacement.
Conduction
Heat transfer through direct physical contact, where faster-moving particles pass energy to slower neighbors.
Convection
Heat transfer through the movement of a fluid (liquid or gas) carrying thermal energy.
Radiation (Heat Transfer)
Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves (primarily infrared) that travel without needing any medium.