Is energy the “thing” that makes matter move or act?

Question

Is energy the “thing” that makes matter move or act?

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Answer 1

Potential energy can sort of be interpreted this way, but not all forms of energy can have this simple interpretation. Say you shoot a bullet into a steel plate. The bullet stops suddenly when it hits the plate, where did all of its energy go? It went into the steel plate, dissipating as sound waves and heat, the energy now being in a form that is not useful for anything. But it still is energy.