Activation Energy: This is the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction. It's like needing enough strength to start climbing that hill.
Reaction Rate: This refers to how quickly or slowly reactants turn into products in a chemical reaction. Imagine if you could run up that hill super fast - that would be a high reaction rate!
Potential Energy Diagrams: These are diagrams that show changes in potential energy as reactions progress. They're like maps showing you how steep your climb will be and where your transition state (the peak) lies.