Transformation of Energy
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Claimed by Shalim6
This page expands on the ideas presented by the Conservation of Energy and discusses more in detail how energy changes form.
The Main Idea
Energy Transformation is the process in which energy changes from one form, to another. Examples of forms of energy includes: Kinetic, Chemical, Thermal, Gravitational Potential etc. When ever energy changes its form, there is no net loss of energy (Conservation of Energy). Virtually every process we engage in is accompanied by a transformation of energy. Some common everyday examples of energy transformation include, the chemical energy of coal being converted to thermal energy when burned or the conversion of light energy from the sun into electrical energy.
It is important to account for the efficiency of energy transformation. Every energy transformation is accompanied by some change in thermal energy. In other words, it is not possible to convert 100 J of chemical energy to 100 J of kinetic energy, some of that chemical energy will be converted to thermal energy. This is due to friction mainly.
In the figure on the right, there is a candle being burned. When something is burned, the energy stored within the chemical bonds that make of the object are broken and energy is released. In the figure, the chemical of the energy of the candle is being converted into both heat and light. Practically, it would be much more useful if 100% of the chemical energy of the candle was converted to light (the whole point of a candle!). If this were the case, either the candle would burn much brighter, or burn longer, since energy is no longer being wasted as heat. As stated above however, this process is not 100% efficient, and thus, some energy will inevitably will be converted to heat energy.
A Mathematical Model
If we assume that no energy is being converted to work, then we can simply say Einitial = Efinal. Note that E initial and E final don't specify what form energy takes, merely that their intensities are equal in Joules when summed.
A Computational Model
Examples
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