Internal Energy
- Internal energy is defined as:
The total energy stored inside a system by the particles that make up the system due to their motion and positions
- The molecules within a substance have energy in their:
- Kinetic store (due to their random motion / vibration)
- Potential store (due to their position relative to each other)
- Together, these stores form the total energy that makes up the internal energy of the system
Molecules in a substance have kinetic energy since they are in motion and potential energy from their position relative to each other