What is the difference between kinetic energy and potential energy?

• A. Kinetic energy is stored energy due to position.
• B. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion; potential energy is stored energy due to position.
• C. Kinetic energy and potential energy are the same.
• D. Potential energy is energy of motion.

Answer: (B)

Energy comes in different forms, and two key ideas are how energy relates to motion and position. Kinetic energy is the energy a body has because it is moving. It grows with both mass and speed, and its standard expression is proportional to velocity squared. Potential energy is energy stored because of where something is or how it is configured—like lifting an object higher up so gravity can act on it, or stretching a spring. It depends on height (for gravity) or the amount of stretch (for a spring).

These forms are related because energy can shift from one to the other without changing the total amount. For example, as a pendulum swings, potential energy converts to kinetic energy and back again. The best summary is that kinetic energy is the energy of motion, while potential energy is stored energy due to position. The other statements mix up these ideas or claim they are the same, which isn’t accurate.