Describe how energy is different from work

Energy is the ability to do work. Work refers to any change in the position, shape or size of an object as a result of its contact with another object - like dropping a rock on your foot. The amount of energy that is exchanged between two objects when they come into contact is called mechanical energy. This type of energy transfers all kinds and forces from one part of an object to another and can be transferred in many directions at once (for example, heat). Work and potential energy are related but not identical topics. Potential energy includes work done by gravity pulling things down and using elastic forces squeezing something together like a spring.

Explanation:

Energy exists in many forms, but we can group them into three general categories: kinetic energy, potential energy and thermal energy. Work is the transfer of quantities of one form of energy to another (i.e., from a muscle to its surroundings), or vice versa. Kinetic and potential energies are classically called "energy" because they are not dependent on a particular point in space for their existence; indeed, all physical systems contain both kinetic and potential energies.