Energy
- In physics, it is the capacity of doing work.
- it is the concept most central to all of science.
- is abstract.
Formula:
E= mc²
Work
-measure of energy transfer that occurs when an object is
moved over a distance by an external force at least part of
which is applied in the direction of displacement.
When we consider the quantity force times distance, we are
talking about an entirely different quantity — work.
Formula:
Work = Force times distance
W = Fd
Work Concept
(1) the exertion of force
(2) the movement of something by that force
The unit of measure for work combines a unit of force (N)
with a unit of distance (m): the unit of work is the newton-
meter (N •m) also called joule (J).
Example: A weightlifter who holds a barbell weighing 1000
newtons overhead does no work on the barbell. He may get
really tired doing so, but if the barbell is not moved by the
force he exerts, he does no work on the barbell.
Work may be done on the muscles by stretching and
contracting, which is force times distance on a biological
scale, but this work is not done on the barbell. Lifting the
barbell, however, is a different story. When the weightlifter
raises the barbell from the floor, he is doing work.
Power
- the rate at which energy is transferred or the rate at which
work is done.
- equal to the amount of work done per time it takes to do
it.
Formula:
Power =work done/time interval
P= W/t
-the SI unit of power is Watt which is Joules per second (J/s)
Mechanical Energy
- form of energy due to relative position of interacting bodies
(potential energy) or to their motion (kinetic energy). It may
be in the form of Potential or Kinetic Energy or both.
- energy of an object that moves.
Examples:
• Child throwing a basketball • plane speeding down the
runway • child kicking a ball.
Potential Energy
- energy that is stored or conserved.
- capable of doing something in the future.
Formula:
Potential Energy= mass times height at constant
gravitational force
The acceleration due to gravity is constant, if the value of
g= 9.8 m/s²,
PE= mgh
Work is required to elevate objects earth’s gravity. The
potential energy of a body due to elevated positions is called
gravitational potential energy.
Gravitational Potential Energy
- Energy that’s within an object when it is moved against a
gravitational force.
- Heavier objects possess more gravitational potential
energy
- the higher the object will also gain more GPE.
Formula:
Gravitational Potential Energy = weight × height
Kinetic Energy
- energy of an object that is moving. It refers to motion or
movement.
- kinetic energy of an object depends on mass and speed. It
is equal to half the mass multiplied by the square of the
speed.
KE = ½ mass × speed²
KE = ½ mv²
For example, when you ride in a fast moving car, you have
zero kinetic energy relative to the car but considerable
kinetic energy relative to the ground.
Notice that speed is squared in the definition of KE, so if the
speed of an object is doubled, its kinetic energy is
quadrupled (2²= 4) , and the object can do four times as
much work.
Accident investigators are well aware that an automobile
going 100 km/h has four times the kinetic energy it would
have at 50 km/h. This means a car going 100 km/h will skid
four times as far when its breaks are locked as it would going
50 km/h. This is because speed is squared for kinetic energy
(this squaring of speed also means that KE can only be zero
or positive — never negative).
Work- Energy Theorem
Kinetic energy of a moving object is equal to the work done
in bringing it from the rest to that speed or to the work a
moving object can do in being brought to rest.
Formula:
Net force × distance = Kinetic energy
Fd= ½ mv²
Put still another way, we can say that the work done is equal
to the change in kinetic energy — work – energy theorem.
Work =∆KE , Work = Final Kinetic Energy – Initial Kinetic
Energy
Conservation of Energy
Kinetic and potential energy underlie other seemingly
different forms of energy such as heat, sound and light
More important than being able to state what energy is is
understanding how it behaves – how it transforms. Energy
changes from one form to another. It transform without net
gain or net loss.
The study of various forms of energy and their
transformations from one form to another has led to one of
the greatest generalizations in physics- law of conservation
of energy.
“Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it may be
transformed from one form into another, but the total
amount of energy never changes”
Example:
When you plug your phone into the wall to charge it.
Electrical energy from main supply travels along the wire and
get transferred to the chemical energy, stored in the phones
battery and when you use your phone, this chemical energy
can be converted back yo electrical energy which flows
around the circuit of the phone and powers the different
parts like the screen and speaker. In the screen, the electrical
energy will be converted into light energy so you can see it
and at the speaker will be converted into sound energy
Ideally, every time their energy is transferred, it would all be
transferred usefully unto the desired store that you wanted
to go to.
In reality though, some of it is going to be dissipated as
wasted energy which means to forms other than one that we
intended.
Machines
- Device for multiplying forces or simply changing the
direction of forces. The principle underlying every
machine is the conservation of energy concept.
Example:
Consider one of the simplest machines, the lever.
At the same time that we do work on one end of the lever,
the other end does work on the load. We see that the
direction of force is changed, for if we push down, the load
is lifted up. If the heating from friction forces is small enough
to neglect, the work input will be equal to work input.
Work input= work output
Since work equals force times distance, input force times
input distance equals output force times output distance,
(Force × distance)input = (Force × distance) output
Efficiency
- In Physics, (and often for chemistry) is a comparison
of the energy output to the energy input in a given
system.
Example:
Let’s consider a lamp, it’s input energy is electrical energy
while its output energy will be split between light energy and
heat energy.
As the purpose of the lamp is to provide light, we consider
the light energy as the useful energy output, whereas the
heat is the wasted energy or the non useful energy.
Efficiency= useful energy output/ total energy input
Or,
Efficiency= useful power output/ total power input.
Inefficiency exist whenever energy in the world around us is
transformed from one form to another.
Comparison of Kinetic Energy and Momentum
Kinetic Energy and Momentum are both properties of
motion but they’re different. Momentum like velocity, is a
vector quantity. Energy on the other hand, like mass, is a
scalar quantity.
When two objects move toward each other, their momenta
may fully or partially cancel. Since kinetic energies are always
positive (or zero) , the total kinetic energy of two moving
objects is greater than the kinetic energy of either one alone.
Energy for Life
- Every plant, animal, and a living cell is a living machine and
just like a mechanical machine, needs an energy supply.
- All living organisms need energy to grow and reproduce,
maintain their structures, and respond to their
environments.
- Metabolism for example, is the set of life-sustaining
chemical processes that enables organisms transform the
chemical energy stored in molecules into energy that can be
used for cellular processes.
- Animals consume food to replenish energy; their
metabolism breaks down the carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids to provide chemical energy for these
processes.
- Plants convert light energy from the sun into chemical
energy stored in molecules during the process of
photosynthesis.