Which form of energy is involved when a battery is used to power a device?

When a battery is used to power a device, the energy stored in the battery is in the form of chemical energy. This chemical energy is the potential energy stored within the chemical compounds present in the battery. During the process of powering a device, a chemical reaction occurs within the battery, which converts the chemical energy into electrical energy. This electrical energy then flows through the circuit to power the device, allowing it to function.

Chemical energy is specifically relevant here because it is the energy that is released when the chemical substances in the battery react. This transformation from chemical to electrical energy is fundamental to how batteries operate, making chemical energy the correct answer in this context.

The other forms of energy listed—elastic potential energy, gravitational potential energy, and thermal energy—do not directly relate to the functioning of a battery in a powering context. Elastic potential energy is associated with objects that can be stretched or compressed, gravitational potential energy pertains to the energy stored in an object’s height above ground, and thermal energy refers to the energy possessed by an object due to the motion of its molecules. None of these forms are relevant to the primary operation of batteries in powering electrical devices.