Which type of energy is stored when an object can stretch or compress?

• A. Elastic potential energy
• B. Kinetic energy
• C. Gravitational potential energy
• D. Chemical potential energy

Answer: (A)

When an object can stretch or compress, the energy stored is elastic potential energy. This type of energy comes from the deformation of an elastic material, like a spring or rubber band, which resists being stretched or squeezed. The more you stretch or compress, the more energy is stored, because the material’s restoring force is doing work to return to its original shape. For a spring, that stored energy follows roughly the half-k times the square of the displacement (E = 1/2 k x^2). If you release the deformation, that elastic potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy or other forms. Other options don’t fit: kinetic energy is energy of motion, gravitational potential energy depends on height, and chemical potential energy is about energy stored in chemical bonds.