What is Energy: Definition and 999 Discussions

In physics, energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to a body or physical system to perform work on the body, or to heat it. Energy is a conserved quantity; the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The unit of measurement in the International System of Units (SI) of energy is the joule, which is the energy transferred to an object by the work of moving it a distance of one metre against a force of one newton.
Common forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), the elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, the chemical energy released when a fuel burns, the radiant energy carried by light, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature.
Mass and energy are closely related. Due to mass–energy equivalence, any object that has mass when stationary (called rest mass) also has an equivalent amount of energy whose form is called rest energy, and any additional energy (of any form) acquired by the object above that rest energy will increase the object's total mass just as it increases its total energy. For example, after heating an object, its increase in energy could be measured as a small increase in mass, with a sensitive enough scale.
Living organisms require energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food. Human civilization requires energy to function, which it gets from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable energy. The processes of Earth's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth receives from the Sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth.

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  1. D

    Can High Velocity Cause Hailstones to Melt?

    I'm pretty sure the hailstones are likely to melt/disperse because 824 m/s is a high velocity but can someone help me elaborate why it would melt?
  2. W

    Determine how much energy the alpha particle carries

    I can follow through all of this worked example until the final step 55/56x4.84= 4.75MeV Where does the 56 come from?
  3. R

    I Why is momentum considered a vector and kinetic energy a scalar?

    I'm not interested in the mathematical derivation, the mathematical derivation already is based on the assumption that momentum is a vector and kinetic energy is a scalar, thus it proves nothing. Specifically, what happens if we discuss scalarized momentum? What happens if we discuss vectorized...
  4. MrS

    I Open channel flow: derive function for energy slope on friction?

    I want to determine the normal flow depth in a perfectly horizontal circular conduit. The system characteristics are known (Internal pipe diameter, Mannings roughness, Discharge). However, I am not sure how to calculate the normal flow depth. When using Manning's equation one can find the normal...
  5. G

    B Could the Pistol Shrimp's Energy Event Hold the Key to Cold Fusion?

    The pistol shrimp creates a cavitation bubble by opening it's claw. For the barest fraction of a second temperatures within the bubble exceed those of the surface of the sun. That is an energy event comparable to a nuclear reaction. Question one, Can this be mechanically duplicated and on a...
  6. M

    Theoretical question about a new Energy and implications of using it

    Toady we use energy sources like fossil fuels which in turn cause global warming, which is a slow process in which our planet changes its habitat to a hostile one for humans. For a science fiction book idea I would like to know if there is a theoretical source of energy that using it would...
  7. rudransh verma

    B Work energy theorem by variable force

    Its Good to be Back! From Resnik, Fundamentals of physics: Consider a particle of mass m, moving along an x-axis and acted on by a net force F(x) that is directed along that axis. The work done on the particle by this force as the particle moves from position ##x_i## to position ##x_f## is given...
  8. B

    A How to slow down a high energy neutral molecular beam

    Hello! I see that in experiments at facilities like ISOLDE, they produce molecular beams at energies of tens of keV. If I understand it right, they first create the molecule as a positive ion, and using electric fields (and maybe magnetic for mass selection) they take the particle out of the...
  9. P

    Lagrangian of a double pendulum, finding kinetic energy

    This is from Taylor's classical mechanichs, 11.4, example of finding the Lagrangian of the double pendulum Relevant figure attached below Angle between the two velocities of second mass is $$\phi_2-\phi_1$$ Potential energy $$U_1=m_1gL_1$$ $$U_2=m_2g[L_1\cos(1-\phi_1)+L_2(1-\phi_2)]$$...
  10. guyvsdcsniper

    Energy inside a sphere

    I solved this problem on my own using the Energy formula. When I compared my answer to online answers (attached) as well as the griffiths solution manual, I noticed they also include the Electric field outside the sphere into their calculations. I did not and only use the Electric Field inside...
  11. B

    Potential Energy of the Atmosphere

    Summary:: I have been trying to do this question for a while using the hydrostatic relationship to put rho and z in terms of p, however, I can not seem to end up with an answer. Can anyone suggest where to start. The question is as follows:
  12. Danny_aero

    Change in potential energy of expanded air in piston-cylinder

    Air is heated in a vertical piston–cylinder assembly fitted with an electrical resistor. The volume of the air slowly increases by 1.6 ft^3 while its pressure remains constant. The area of the piston is 1 ft^2. The mass of the air is 0.6 lb. The local acceleration of gravity is g = 32.0 ft/s^2...
  13. L

    A satellite in orbit in a system with one planet and two moons

    1) Considering the forces on one of the moons, I have: ##\frac{GMm}{(10R)^2}+\frac{Gm^2}{(20R)^2}=m\frac{v^2}{10R}\Leftrightarrow v=\sqrt{\frac{G}{10R}(M+\frac{m}{4})}.## 2) Considering the initial situation in which the satellite is at rest on the surface of the planet...
  14. Dario56

    I Potential Energy of an Electron-Nuclei Interaction in DFT

    In density functional theory (DFT), electron density is a central quantity. Because of this, we want to calculate electron - nuclei potential energy as functional on electron density. If we know how potential energy varies across space, we can calculate this functional with plugging particular...
  15. Dario56

    I Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy of Electrons

    Time indepedendent Schrödinger equation for a system (atom or molecule) consisting of N electrons can be written as (with applying Born - Oppenheimer approximation): $$ [(\sum_{i=1}^N - \frac {h^2} {2m} \nabla _i ^2) + \sum_{i=1}^N V(r_i) + \sum_{i < j}^N U(r_i,r_j)] \Psi = E \Psi $$ Terms in...
  16. A

    Finding kinetic energy and initial velocity of a cart over time

    Here's my list of variables and things to account for: m=100kg Wnc=5000J Wfriction=-500J -Kinetic energy will be doubled (though I don't know how that plays into it exactly) -I don't think there's any PE because it's on level ground My idea of what the equation might be: Wnc +1/2mv^2initial =...
  17. rudransh verma

    B What is the need for the concepts of Work and Energy (KE)?

    What is the need to introduce the concept of work and energy when the motion can be completely understood by the concept of force and acceleration and momentum and velocity and displacement, etc? Why do we need to understand the same thing once again in terms of Work and energy? Also the kinetic...
  18. W

    I A System is the transfer of energy between two mediums?

    Can a system be defined as the transfer of energy between two mediums? An example of this approach is the Rankine cycle for a power plant (water and steam cycle) This cycle would be defined by four systems. System 1 (boiler feed pump) Energy released by boiler feed pump…...Energy added to...
  19. Amaterasu21

    I Energy conservation in Doppler (NOT cosmological) redshifts?

    Hi all, My question is about Doppler redshifts, but I'm going to mention cosmological redshifts first because I'm a lay person as far as cosmology's concerned (I'm an amateur astronomer and did a few introductory astrophysics/cosmology courses at university, but my degree focus was planetary...
  20. TechmoUnity

    B Assistance finding the nuclear energy difference during nuclear fusion

    Hello! I have finished high school quite a few years ago. I did a physics course that went over nuclear fusion and fission, and I quite enjoyed it. However, I unfortunately no longer have those textbooks (I sold them on as many people do). Now I am doing a bit of programming in the field of...
  21. rudransh verma

    B About verification on Kinetic energy and work

    1. From resnik, Halliday “Kinetic energy K is energy associated with the state of motion of an object. The faster the object moves , the greater is the kinetic energy” If I am right this means that greater the kinetic energy, greater is its speed. 2. Force transfers energy to the body due to...
  22. penguin46

    How to tell if Energy is Conserved from the Lagrangian?

    I am fairly certain that the answer here is to differentiate partially with respect to time rather than fully. In Landau and Lifshitz' proof of energy conservation one of the hypotheses is that the partial of L wrt time is zero. Am I on the right track?
  23. Zeal Faust

    B What is Dark Matter or Energy?

    I have read that almost 80 to 90% of our space is made of dark matter or Dark Energy. But what is the function of this Dark matter or energy? Is this something that binds stars, galaxies, etc? If not then what is the actual matter with Dark energy?
  24. Anmoldeep

    Time dependant Potential Energy in ion trap

    Ion traps are very complex, but one of my Physics Olympiad textbooks presents a simplified model of a resonating charged particle in an ion trap A tuned circuit consists of an inductor and a parallel plate capacitor (capacitance C and plate separation d). It has a resonating frequency ##\nu...
  25. S

    Work done on dipole and potential energy in uniform electric field

    I encountered a problem regarding the appropriate sign needed to be taken for the work done on a dipole when it rotates in a uniform electric field and would appreciate some help. The torque on a dipole can be defined as τ=PEsinθ The work done on a dipole to move it from an angle ##\theta_0##...
  26. Istiak

    Calculating Energy From Charged Particles: 0.5869 J

    Generally, energy is ##U=9\times 10^{9} \times \frac{5\times 10^{-6}30\times 10^{-6}}{2+(10+20)\times 10^{-2}}=0.5869 J## <br/> After touching, they have charges ##q_1 and q_2 = 35\mu C-q_1## ##\frac{q_1}{10}=\frac{35\mu C-q_1}{20}## I was wondering where 1/10 and 1/20 coefficients come...
  27. T

    Relating k-values to energy diagrams and rate-determining steps

    I'm trying to understand a little bit more about how k-values relate to rate-determining steps and energy diagrams. I always assumed that the lowest value of k (in the forward direction) was the RDS saw something in a handout that indicated otherwise. It explained that even though k1 > k2...
  28. guyvsdcsniper

    Change in internal energy of a cylinder

    I believe I got the first part of this questions solved. For part b, we are asked to find the change in internal energy. We know ΔE=Q+W. The cylinder,gas and piston head are the system. The cylinder and piston head are well insulated, so there will be no head transfer, therefore Q=0. So now...
  29. K

    B Magnetic pendulum and electric energy....

    While reading about electromagnetism from the OpenStax books with my son (and doing some experiments), he asked this question. Suppose I hang a pendulum and make it oscillate inside a coil connected to a Galvanometer as shown in the schematic diagram: Hopefully the image is clear enough. His...
  30. Istiak

    Find the energy which was released when the 'Death Star' was destroyed

    > In the movie "Star Wars: A new Hope", Luke Skywalker blows up the 'death star'. Assume that the 'death star' is a perfectly spherical spaceship with uniform mass distribution. The mass of 'Death Star' ##M=1021 \mathrm{kg}## and the radius ##R=667\mathrm{km}## Estimate the amount of the energy...
  31. R3ap3r42

    Invariant mass and energy balance

    a) Two particles have energies E1 and E2, and momenta p1 and p2. Write down an expression for the invariant mass of this two-particle system. Leave your answer in terms of E1 and E2, and p1 and p2. b) A typical photon (γ) in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has an energy of kBTCMB, where...
  32. L

    Work and kinetic energy comprehension question

    Hello, I’ll start by saying I have the answers and the steps to the solutions, but there’s a comprehension disconnect somewhere that I’m trying to figure out. There are two parts to my question but the second one may not apply depending on the answer to the first. I wasn’t sure from the forum...
  33. P

    The velocity of a movable block that is penetrated by an arrow

    This problem is in a chapter on momentum in the book basic engineering mechanics explained. Help me Mario
  34. L

    I The time derivative of kinetic energy

    Lets consider T(\vec{p})=\frac{\vec{p}^2}{2m}=\frac{\vec{p}\cdot \vec{p}}{2m}. Then \frac{dT}{dt}=\vec{v}\cdot \vec{F}. And if we consider T=\frac{p^2}{2m} than \frac{dT}{dt}=\frac{1}{2m}2p\frac{dp}{dt} Could I see from that somehow that this is \vec{v}\cdot \vec{F}?
  35. L

    Doubts on Exercise Wording: Energy Density & Poynting Vector

    I have doubts about the wording of the exercise: (1) energy density is ##u=\varepsilon_0 (cB)^2## but since the question asks for mean energy density should I perhaps average over ##cos^2 (\omega t)## (there due to the ##B^2##) and thus use ##<u>=\frac{1}{2}\varepsilon_0 (cB)^2##? (2) it seems...
  36. RogerWaters

    B How do the candidates for Dark Energy 'work'?

    When it comes to explaining some phenomena, I think in terms of mechanisms whereas physics explains through mathematics. With this in mind, I'm trying to compare and contrast the differences between the candidate explanations for dark energy, as nicely summarised on the NASA website...
  37. RogerWaters

    B Does dark energy or cosmic inflation explain flatness?

    As I understand, the main theoretical virtue of Guth's inflation hypothesis is that it explains a bunch of otherwise hard-to-account-for phenomena under the standard big bang model without inflation: the Horizon Problem, the Flatness problem, the Monopole problem, and also the problem of how...
  38. jeffinbath

    B Can the "Dark Energy" concept be wrong?

    With the latest view that free space has virtual particles constantly popping in and out of existence, is it now rational to argue that light can electromagnetically travel through free space for ever and ever without the slightest energy loss? Edwin Hubble found that the general red shift of...
  39. RogerWaters

    B Why doesn't cosmic inflation violate conservation of energy?

    Hi all, I'm not a physics student (although I have a PhD in a different field) and so don't have the math, but I'm trying to interpret a key passage from Krauss' book 'A Universe from Nothing' where he is (trying?) to explain, in 'layman's terms', what Alan Guth termed 'the ultimate free lunch'...
  40. S

    B Iron, Nuclear Stability and Nuclear Energy

    Iron (Fe-56) is in terms of nuclear energy spent, which seems equivalent to saying its nuclides are the most tightly-bound. Does this also make Fe-56 the most stable nucleus, and is nuclear potential energy to stability a general correlation? Do more-stable nuclei generally have less nuclear...
  41. R

    I Kinetic Energy derivation assumption?

    The classical definition to the Kinetic Energy equation is KE=integral of F*dx where F=d(m*v)/dt. When mass is constant, KE=(1/2)m*v^2. I am working on a vibration problem at work and having to review my Lagrangian Dynamics books from 30 years ago. So my question is about all of the authors...
  42. S

    Problem of spring block system: force vs conservation of energy

    I have used the work energy theorem like all source have shown me an have arrived at the right answer where work one by all the forces is the change in kinetic energy -1/2kx^2 - umgcosΘx +mgsinΘx = 0 is the equation which becomes -1/2kx -umgcosΘ+ mgsinΘ = 0 where k= spring constant u=...
  43. benagastov

    Finding all possible energy states faster without using a calculator

    I tried to find states in direct method using ##\frac{E}{E_0}=\:nx^2+ny^2+nz^2## and ##100\:<nx^2+ny^2+nz^2\:<\:136## But it was too long, found it using phi approximation there are around 300 energy states, and Python find around 271 states using direct method but I need manual or recursive...
  44. V

    Kinetic & Potential Energy of a Pendulum

    When the pendulum is released, the Kinetic Energy should be 0. When the pendulum is at the bottom/hits the rod, it should have 0 potential energy. However, I don't quite understand what happens after it hits the rod.
  45. L

    A Energy problem of light interference

    During equal thickness interference, adjust the inclination of the two plates to expand the spacing of interference fringes to 10mm. Then, if a light with a width of 5mm is used for equal thickness interference, whether an interference pattern will be observed, and the width of the interference...
  46. M

    Engineering Spring Deformation: Potential Energy Balance Incorrect?

    In the initial position the spring is previously compressed, then the block adds a force, and the spring is again deformed. I think the energy balance is incorrect; the potential energy of the spring is repeated.
  47. T

    A Covariant Derivative of Stress Energy Tensor of Scalar Field on Shell

    Hi all, I am currently trying to prove formula 21 from the attached paper. My work is as follows: If anyone can point out where I went wrong I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks.
  48. DrunkElk1601

    I Energy Transfer Between Inertia Wheels

    Been 20 years since college physics. I have a problem where there are basically two inertia wheels on separate shafts coupled by a clutch. One wheel is spinning and the other is at rest. The clutch engages and connects the shafts. What's the final rpm of both wheels? I'm struggling to find a...
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