The ability to do work or cause change.

The ability to do work or cause change.

• A. Heat
• B. Kinetic energy
• C. Energy
• D. Electrical energy

Answer: (C)

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. Work happens when a force moves something over a distance, transferring energy in the process. Energy comes in many forms—motion (kinetic energy), position (potential energy), heat, electrical energy, and more—and these forms can be converted into one another. The phrase describes energy in general, not a single form. The other options are specific forms of energy or a type of energy transfer, but they don’t capture the overall capacity to cause change the way energy does.

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. Work happens when a force moves something over a distance, transferring energy in the process. Energy comes in many forms—motion (kinetic energy), position (potential energy), heat, electrical energy, and more—and these forms can be converted into one another. The phrase describes energy in general, not a single form. The other options are specific forms of energy or a type of energy transfer, but they don’t capture the overall capacity to cause change the way energy does.