Do gases and liquids have elastic potential energy?

Question

Elastic potential energy is the potential energy in an object because it has been stretched or compressed. I'm pretty sure the answer is no but I haven't been able to find anything to back me up on the internet. Help me out plz!

Answer 1

In material science, elastic energy is not the same as potential energy from compressed gases.
Liquids are usually assumed to be incompressable, i.e., you can not squeeze a volume of liquid and make it smaller. You can dissolve gas in liquid so that, when pressure is released, the gas comes out. Example is when you open a can of soda pop. Compressed gas can have a lot of stored energy. This is why it is important to store bottles of compressed gas safely. A standard gas cylinder filled with 2500 psi of air will take off like a missle if the valve is broken off. Elastic energy in materials is potential energy. Stretching a spring or a rubber band is an example of this. The elastic properties of metals are measured in mechanical property testing, typically in tensile tests. Metals have what is called an elastic limit, it is a level of stress that stretches the electronic bonds between atoms and, when the stress is removed, the sample returns to it's original length. If you put on enough stress to exceed the elastic limit, atoms start moving around and you get permanent stretch. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

In the last sentence, " the potential energy of the interaction of atoms" means :-- When the solid or liquid substance is heated, the atoms become unstable and hence have a tendency to move or relocate. When they move their individual potential energies get converted to Kinetic energies which is generated due to Interaction of the constituent atoms. This very kinetic energy is expressed as Thermal Energy. To be more specific, Thermal energy is nothing else but the heat effect caused due to any kind of internal or external motion of the constituent atoms or molecules. In the above example, in the last sentence though, the word Kinetic energy is misrepresented as Potential energy. It should be Kinetic energy written over there, since potential energy is never connected to any form of motion or interaction . You are right in your argument.