Energy · Physics Reference Tables (2025 Edition)
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The Energy page of the Reference Tables for Physical Science: Physics (2025 Edition) is the energy equation sheet: nine equations with the meaning of their variables. Kinetic and potential energy, work and total energy support HS-PS3-1 and HS-PS3-2; power and percent efficiency support HS-PS3-3; Q = mcΔT supports HS-PS3-4. Every equation has its own row anchor.
What the energy page shows
Forms of energy. Kinetic energy KE = ½mv2, the change in gravitational potential energy ΔPEg = mgΔh (written as a change, since only differences in height matter, with g from the List of Physical Constants) and the spring potential energy PEs = ½kx2, where x is the stretch or compression from the equilibrium length. ET = PE + KE + Eother says the total energy of a system is the sum of its mechanical energy and everything else (thermal energy, sound, and so on); when Eother does not change, the mechanical energy is conserved, which is the heart of HS-PS3-1 and HS-PS3-2.
Work and power. W = Fd is the work done by a force along a displacement, and Wnet = ΔET the work–energy relationship: the net work done on a system equals its change in total energy. Power is work per time, or force times average velocity. Percent efficiency compares useful output to input (energy or power) and goes with the energy-conversion devices of HS-PS3-3.
Thermal energy. Q = mcΔT gives the thermal energy transferred when a mass m of a substance changes temperature by ΔT. Specific heat capacities are not listed on the 2025 tables (the 2006 edition did not list them either), so a question supplies the value it needs. The 2006 edition wrote the total energy as PE + KE + Q with Q as internal energy; the 2025 edition uses Eother for that and reserves Q for mcΔT.
Regents Exam Questions
Released Regents questions that cannot be answered without this table, listed by exam. Each link opens the question with its answer key; the standard is the one the question assesses.
| Exam | Cluster | Question | Standard | Row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 Physics Regents | Pendulum Motion | Question 2 | HS-PS3-2 | ΔPEg = mgΔh; ET = PE + KE + Eother |
| Heat Exchange | Question 12 | HS-PS3-3 | % efficiency | |
| Heat Exchange | Question 13 | HS-PS3-4 | Q = mcΔT | |
| Heat Exchange | Question 14 | HS-PS3-4 | Q = mcΔT | |
| From Astro Blaster to Supernova | Question 36 | HS-PS3-1 | KE = ½mv2; ET = PE + KE + Eother | |
| Physics sample clusters (spring 2025) | Bungee Jumping | Question 1 | HS-PS3-1 | ΔPEg = mgΔh |
| Bungee Jumping | Question 4 | HS-PS3-1 | ET = PE + KE + Eother; ΔPEg = mgΔh |