Work (physics)
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In physics, work is the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement. In its simplest form, for a constant force aligned with the direction of motion, the work equals the product of the force strength and the distance traveled. A force is said to do positive work if it has a component in the direction of the displacement of the point of application. A force does negative work if it has a component opposite to the direction of the displacement at the point of application of the force.
A baseball pitcher does positive work on the ball by applying a force to it over the distance it moves while in his grip.
Lotus type 119B gravity racer at Lotus 60th celebration
Gravity racing championship in Campos Novos, Santa Catarina, Brazil, 8 September 2010
Energy
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In physics, energy is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light. Energy is a conserved quantity—the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The unit of measurement for energy in the International System of Units (SI) is the joule (J).
A plasma globe, using electrical energy to create plasma, light, heat, movement and a faint sound
In a typical lightning strike, 500 megajoules of electric potential energy is converted into the same amount of energy in other forms, mostly light energy, sound energy and thermal energy.
Thermal energy is energy of microscopic constituents of matter, which may include both kinetic and potential energy.
Thomas Young, the first person to use the term "energy" in the modern sense