Energy - Potential And Kinetic Energy, Conservation Of Energy, Forms Of Energy, Electrical Energy, Magnetic Energy
iron move filings distance
Energy is a state function commonly defined as the capacity to do work. Since work is defined as the movement of an object through a distance, energy can also be described as the ability to move an object through a distance. As an example, imagine that a bar magnet is placed next to a pile of iron filings (thin slivers of iron metal). The iron filings begin to move toward the iron bar because magnetic energy pulls on the iron filings and causes them to move.
Energy can be a difficult concept to understand. Unlike matter, energy can not be taken hold of or placed on a laboratory bench for study. We know the nature and characteristics of energy best because of the effect it has on objects around it, as in the case of the bar magnet and iron filings mentioned above.
Energy is described in many forms, including mechanical, heat, electrical, magnetic, sound, chemical, and nuclear. Although these forms appear to be very different from each other, they often have much in common and can generally be transformed into one another.
Over time, a number of different units have been used to measure energy. In the British system, for example, the fundamental unit of energy is the foot-pound. One foot-pound is the amount of energy that can move a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. In the metric system, the fundamental unit of energy is the joule (abbreviation: J), named after the English scientist James Prescott Joule (1818-1889). A joule is the amount of energy that can move a weight of one newton a distance of one meter.
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Every object has energy as a consequence of its position in space and/or its motion. For example, a baseball poised on a railing at the top of the observation deck on the Empire State Building has potential energy because of its ability to fall off the railing and come crashing down onto the street. The potential energy of the baseball—as well as that of any other object—is dependent…
The sum total of an object's potential and kinetic energy is known as its mechanical energy. The total amount of mechanical energy possessed by a body is a constant. The baseball described above has a maximum potential energy and minimum kinetic energy (actually a zero kinetic energy) while at rest. In the fraction of a second before the ball has struck the ground, its kinetic energy has be…
The operation of a steam engine is an example of heat being used as a source of energy. Hot steam is pumped into a cylinder, forcing a piston to move within the cylinder. When the steam cools off and changes back to water, the piston returns to its original position. The cycle is then repeated. The up-and-down motion of the piston is used to turn a wheel or do some other kind of work. In this exam…
Suppose that two ping pong balls, each carrying an electrical charge, are placed near to each other. If free to move, the two balls have a tendency either to roll toward each other or away from each other, depending on the charges. If the charges they carry are the same (both positive or both negative), the two balls will repel each other and roll away from each other. If they charges are opposite…
A magnetic is a piece of metal that has the ability to attract iron, nickel, cobalt, or certain specific other kinds of metal. Every magnet contains two distinct regions, one known as the north pole and one, the south pole. As with electrical charges, unlike poles attract each other and like poles repel each other. A study of magnets allows the introduction of a new concept in energy, the concept …
The fact that people can hear is a simple demonstration of the fact that sound is a form of energy. Sound is actually nothing other than the movement of air. When sound is created, sound waves travel through space, creating compressions in some regions and rarefactions in other regions. When these sound waves strike the human eardrum, they cause the drum to vibrate, creating the sensation of sound…
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