In section one of this lesson, you saw an example of how radiant energy from the sun was transferred into various forms. The energy started out as radiant energy from the sun and was transformed into chemical energy, and then finally, it was transformed into mechanical energy.

Any of the forms of energy can be changed or transformed into other forms.

The law of conservation of energy states that energy is never created nor destroyed just transformed into other forms of energy. The total amount of energy is the same before and after any energy transformation.

Let's look at an example of energy conversion or transformation.

Think about how a flashlight works. Most flashlights require batteries to work. The batteries have stored chemical energy. The energy is transformed to electrical energy and then to radiant light energy.