What type of energy is stored in a stretched rubber band?

• A. Elastic energy
• B. Kinetic energy
• C. Chemical energy
• D. Thermal energy

Answer: (A)

When you stretch a rubber band, you’re distorting its shape and forcing its molecules to resist that change. The work you do to pull it back adds energy to the rubber band, storing it as elastic potential energy—energy tied to the object’s stretched form. This energy is released when the band returns toward its original shape, converting to kinetic energy as the band speeds up and moves.

This is different from kinetic energy, which is energy of motion. It’s also not chemical energy, which is stored in the bonds of molecules and typically released by a chemical reaction, nor thermal energy, which relates to the random motion of particles and heat. The key idea is that deformation of an elastic object stores energy as elastic potential energy, ready to be converted into motion when the object relaxes.