Planetary Energy Balance

Forms of Energy

To understand how the planet balances energy, let’s first discuss some basic definitions of energy. Energy is the “ability to do work” and comes in two general types: 1) kinetic energy, the energy of motion and 2) potential energy, which can be found in various forms.

KINETIC ENERGY	THERMAL ENERGY
Kinetic energy is the work that can be done by moving masses, such as a hammer hitting a nail. The moving masses can be very small, such as the molecules of a solid, liquid, or gas.	The kinetic energy involved in random motion of molecules is called heat. Hotter objects have molecules that move faster, each carrying more energy. Thermal energy is really the collective kinetic energy of all the molecules in an object.