Basically, energy should be understood as a characteristic of the various forms of motion, fluctuations, and interactions of matter, which are expressed in diverse ways. There are several types of different energies, depending on their source and how they affect matter: in this experiment, we discuss thermal, light, and electrical types of energy. Each of the types of energy mentioned is natural and, therefore, freely produced in the environment (CDD, 2020). For example, sources of light energy are the sun, which emits electromagnetic pulses with different wavelengths, including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. Thermal energy comes from Brownian motion — atoms, molecules, and particles move chaotically in space, which creates friction that causes heat to form. Finally, electrical energy is similar to thermal energy, but in this case, there is the movement of electric charges, which cause perturbation of the electromagnetic field. Remarkably, any type of energy does not disappear but passes between forms; for example, light energy dissipates partially in the form of heat, while electrical energy produces light flashes.
Any type of energy causes changes in the surrounding matter, causing bodies to be perturbed by the work applied to them. For example, thermal energy, realized through heat transfer, can cause solid bodies to expand or melt. This process is based on the transfer of excess energy to an open system that acts as a donor (LibreTexts, 2020). As an example, a metallic block takes up some of the thermal energy, causing the constituent atoms to move faster. The range of the corresponding oscillations increases, which means that the rigid form of the block ceases to exist: the body changes into liquid or even gaseous form, depending on the transferred heat. Actually, at first, the solid body will expand, and when the critical threshold is crossed, the phase transition will occur. Other forms of energy work according to the same principle — energy moves in space and, when it reaches a particular barrier, causes appropriate perturbations in it by transferring excess energy to establish a certain energy equilibrium. Thus, excess electric charge is transferred to the system, causing the formation of its own magnetic field, and light energy transfers the energy of matter photons, causing increased oscillation of particles, which, in turn, is followed by heating.
References
CDD. (2020).Chapter 5: energy [PDF document].
LibreTexts. (2020). Thermal energy. Chemistry LibreTexts.