include "../_i/1.h"; ?>
The total energy of all the participants in any process remains unchanged through that process. That is, energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Energy can be transformed (changed from one form to another).
Energy can be transferred (moved),
...but the total amount always remains the same.
Where does work (= Force $\times$ distance) fit in?
Work is an energy transfer.
Work:
In this picture, what happened to the kinetic energy when the book hit the floor?
If energy is really conserved, we might picture it as a river, whose flow is diverted into different channels, but never lost.
Our dropping book at three points in time:
energy efficiency = "useful" output energy / total input energy
For animals and humans, this peaks at about 25% (periods of sustained exercise). Though if we include sleep, it's lower
For internal combustion engines, about 25%.
How might you diagram a car at these three points: a.) at rest, b.) after
accelerating to 30 mph, c.) after going up a hill?
Is energy conserved when thermal energy is involved?
James Prescott Joule used the apparatus pictured, along with ridiculously precise thermometers to find that the temperature increase of a given amount of water was reproducibly proportional to the amount of mechanical work done (by the falling weight).
include "../_i/3.h" ?>