Internal Energy
Physics: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 2.2.5
Internal Energy
An object’s internal energy is the sum of the kinetic energies and the potential energies of all the particles in an object.
Kinetic energy
- The kinetic energy comes from the random motion of the particles.
- The temperature of a body (object) is a measure of the kinetic energy of its particles.
- Increasing a body’s temperature increases the kinetic energy of the body’s particles, increasing the body’s internal energy.
Chemical energy
- The chemical energy comes from the potential energy stored in the bonds between particles.