Internal Energy

Claimed by Michelle McIntire M06

Main Idea

Internal Energy, as referred to in Intro Physics, is energy within a system. When determining the specifics of internal energy it is best to refer to the real system of the interaction, rather than the point-particle system. The system may consist of internal interactions, such as spring interactions and thermal energy transfer. When a system is inelastic, this means that kinetic energy is not conserved, and thus (due to conservation of energy) there is some change in internal energy.

A Mathematical Model

What are the mathematical equations that allow us to model this topic. For example [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.

A Computational Model

How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript

Examples

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Connectedness

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3. Is there an interesting industrial application?

History

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See also

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Further reading

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References

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