Energy is the capacity of matter to perform work as the result possesses.
sesses. Other examples of systems having potential energy include
of its motion or its position in relation to forces acting on it. Energy
associated with motion is known as kinetic energy, and energy related
to position is called potential energy. Thus, a swinging pendulum has
maximum potential energy at the terminal points; at all intermediate
positions it has both kinetic and potential energy in varying
proportions. Energy exists in various forms, including mechanical,
thermal, chemical, electrical, radiant, and atomic. All forms of energy
are interconvertible by appropriate processes. In the process of
transformation either kinetic or potential energy may be lost or gained,
but the sum total of the two remains always the same.
A weight suspended from a cord has potential energy due to its
position, inasmuch as it can perform work in the process of falling. An
electric battery has potential energy in chemical form. A piece of
magnesium has potential energy stored in chemical form that is
expended in the form of heat and light if the magnesium is ignited. If a
gun is fired, the potential energy of the gunpowder is transformed into
the kinetic energy of the moving projectile. The kinetic mechanical
energy of the moving rotor of a dynamo is changed into kinetic
electrical energy by electromagnetic induction. All forms of energy
tend to be transformed into heat, which is the most transient form of
energy. In mechanical devices energy not expended in useful work is
dissipated in frictional heat, and losses in electrical circuits are largely
heat losses.
Empirical observation in the 19th century led to the conclusion
that although energy can be transformed, it cannot be created or
destroyed. This concept, known as the conservation of energy,
constitutes one of the basic principles of classical mechanics. The
principle, along with the parallel principle of conservation of matter,
holds true only for phenomena involving velocities that are small
compared with the velocity of light. At higher velocities close to that
of light, as in nuclear reactions, energy and matter are interconvertible.
In modern physics the two concepts, the conservation of energy and of
mass, are thus unified.
Potential Energy, stored energy possessed by a system as a
result of the relative positions of the components of that system. For
example, if a ball is held above the ground, the system comprising the
ball and the earth has a certain amount of potential energy; lifting the
ball higher increases the amount of potential energy the system
a stretched rubber band, and a pair of magnets held together so that the
like poles are touching.
Work is needed to give a system potential energy. It takes
effort to lift a ball off the ground, stretch a rubber band, or force two
magnets together. In fact, the amount of potential energy a system
possesses is equal to the work done on the system. Potential energy
also can be transformed into other forms of energy. For example, when
a ball is held above the ground and released, the potential energy is
transformed into kinetic energy.
Potential energy manifests itself in different ways. For
example, electrically charged objects have potential energy as a result
of their position in an electric field. An explosive substance has
chemical potential energy that is transformed into heat, light, and
kinetic energy when detonated. Nuclei in atoms have potential energy
that is transformed into more useful forms of energy in nuclear power
plants.
Kinetic Energy is the energy possessed by an object, resulting
from the motion of that object. The magnitude of the kinetic energy
depends on both the mass and the velocity of the object according to
the equation
E = mv2
Where m is the mass of the object and v2 is its velocity
multiplied by itself. The value of E can also be derived from the
equation
E = (ma) d
Where a is the acceleration applied to the mass, m, and d is the
distance through which a acts. The relationships between kinetic and
potential energy and among the concepts of force, distance,
acceleration, and energy can be illustrated by the lifting and dropping
of an object.
When the object is lifted from a surface a vertical force is
applied to the object. As this force acts through a distance, energy is
transferred to the object. The energy associated with an object held
above a surface is termed potential energy. If the object is dropped, the
potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.
Power, in physics and engineering, the rate of performing
work or transferring energy. Work is equal to the force applied to
move an object multiplied by the distance the object travels. Power
measures how quickly the work is done. For example, suppose a
person wants to push a heavy box across a room. To overcome the
friction between the bottom of the box and the floor, the person must
apply force to the box to keep it moving. Since friction is independent
of an object's velocity along a sliding surface, no matter how quickly
the person pushes the box across the floor, the force applied is the
same. Now suppose the person pushes the box from one end of the
room to the other in ten seconds, then pushes the box back to its
original position in five seconds. In each trip across the room, the force
applied and the distance the box is moved is the same, so the work
done in each case is the same. But the second time the box is pushed
across the room, the person has to apply more power than in the first
trip because the same amount of work is done in five seconds rather
than ten. Mathematically speaking, power is equal to the work done
divided by the time interval over which the work is performed.
The concept of power does not apply only to situations where
objects are moved around mechanically. For example, the concept of
power is also useful when dealing with electricity. Imagine an electric
circuit with a resistor. A certain amount of work must be done to move
charge through the resistor. To move charge more quickly through the
resistor—or, in other words, to increase the current flowing through
the resistor—more power is required.
Power is always expressed in units of energy divided by units
of time. Two units of power are the horsepower and the watt. One
horsepower is equal to the amount of power required to lift 33,000
pounds a distance of 1 foot in 1 minute. One watt equals the power
needed to do 1 joule of work per second. There are 746 watts in 1
horsepower.