Moving Things Can Pass Their Energy On

Hey there, I'm Atlas! Let's talk about something you can feel the next time you catch a fast-moving ball — ouch! When an object moves, it carries a type of energy called kinetic energy (say it with me: kin-ET-ik). The faster something moves, or the heavier it is, the MORE kinetic energy it has. Here is the really cool part: when a moving object bumps into a still object, the energy does not disappear. Instead, it TRANSFERS — it passes from the moving object into the still one, making it move. You can even hear some energy escape as the crash sound! That thud or bang you hear in a collision is real energy leaving — which is why a rolling bowling ball makes such a loud crack when it hits the pins, and a kicked soccer ball makes a satisfying thwack when it flies past the goalie. After the collision, the moving object often slows down (it gave away some of its energy!) and the still object starts moving (it received the energy). The more energy the moving object had, the more the still object will move. So next time you see anything collide — cars bumping, dominoes falling, or marbles crashing — you are watching energy transfer in action!