Energy _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Objects Can Store Energy
Figure 6.4When you see the waves crashing on a beach or watch a spinning carousel, you can see changes happening.
The changes are evidence of energy. But energy can also be present even when you don’t see such evidence.
When a rubber band is not stretched, it isn’t causing any change. There is no evidence of energy.
But when the rubber band is stretched, it now has the ability to cause changes if it is released, or let go. The stretched rubber band has stored energy.
When the rubber band is released, it moves and makes a sound. Those changes are evidence that energy was stored in the stretched rubber band.
Inside a battery are chemicals that store energy. When you put a battery in a flashlight or a toy, the stored chemical energy will be released and cause a change. The energy can make the flashlight light up or the toy move.