What term describes the ability to do work?

• A. Power
• B. Energy
• C. Force
• D. Work

Answer: (B)

Energy is the ability to do work. Work happens when a force moves something a distance, so having energy means you have the capacity to cause that kind of change. Different forms of energy—like potential energy stored in a stretched bow or elastic, and kinetic energy in a moving object—are all ways energy enables things to be done. Power, on the other hand, is about how fast that work is done, not whether there is the capacity to do it. Force is the push or pull that can cause motion, and work is the transfer of energy that results from applying that force over a distance. So the term that describes the ability to do work is energy.