Simply defined, energy is work done or the capacity to do work. Energy is everywhere and it is important because it is an essential aspect of daily living. It is what cools a room on a hot summer’s day, makes cars run, and fuels the human body. To put it simply, life cannot exist without energy. Thus, possessing a basic understanding of the various aspects of energy such as its forms, and how it is transferred and transformed can be helpful in comprehending some of the basic principles of physics that make up human life.
As mentioned previously, energy is the ability to do work. Thus, work is the starting point of energy. Work is done when a force applied to an object causes it to move. For instance, lifting a ball off the ground and placing …show more content…
In other words, there are different ways for an object to possess energy. For example, one type of energy known as kinetic energy, is the work done to set an object in motion. Kinetic energy is denoted by KE and is equal to the product of one half times the mass (m) of the object times the square of the speed (v) of the object: KE=1/2*mv^2. Based on this formula, it can be concluded that as the speed or mass of the object gets larger, so does kinetic energy. Also, it should be noted that kinetic energy is needed to find total energy (E). Total energy is simply the sum of the kinetic and gravitational potential energy of an …show more content…
It is also equally important to realize that during this process, the amount of energy an object has will never change. This idea forms the basis of the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that energy is never created or destroyed. For example, consider what happens when one lifts a ball from a resting surface. As the person lifts the ball, they are transferring energy from their muscles to the ball and giving it gravitational potential energy. As the ball drops, the amount of gravitational potential energy decreases, but the amount of kinetic energy increases. During this process, the total sum of energy never changed. The only thing that changed was the amount of kinetic and gravitational potential
As mentioned previously, energy is the ability to do work. Thus, work is the starting point of energy. Work is done when a force applied to an object causes it to move. For instance, lifting a ball off the ground and placing …show more content…
In other words, there are different ways for an object to possess energy. For example, one type of energy known as kinetic energy, is the work done to set an object in motion. Kinetic energy is denoted by KE and is equal to the product of one half times the mass (m) of the object times the square of the speed (v) of the object: KE=1/2*mv^2. Based on this formula, it can be concluded that as the speed or mass of the object gets larger, so does kinetic energy. Also, it should be noted that kinetic energy is needed to find total energy (E). Total energy is simply the sum of the kinetic and gravitational potential energy of an …show more content…
It is also equally important to realize that during this process, the amount of energy an object has will never change. This idea forms the basis of the Law of Conservation of Energy which states that energy is never created or destroyed. For example, consider what happens when one lifts a ball from a resting surface. As the person lifts the ball, they are transferring energy from their muscles to the ball and giving it gravitational potential energy. As the ball drops, the amount of gravitational potential energy decreases, but the amount of kinetic energy increases. During this process, the total sum of energy never changed. The only thing that changed was the amount of kinetic and gravitational potential