Understanding Energy: Alternative Working Conditions

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Avgiu
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Conditions Energy
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of energy, specifically exploring different definitions and interpretations of energy in relation to mass and inertia. Participants examine theoretical and conceptual aspects of energy, including its relationship to matter and the implications of various definitions.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the phrase "degree of inertial resistance" aligns more closely with mass rather than energy.
  • One participant asserts that energy is the capability to do work, reinforcing the idea that "degree of inertial resistance" is synonymous with mass.
  • Another participant proposes that mass is a form of energy, referencing E=MC^2, and humorously includes everyday objects as examples of energy.
  • There is a contention regarding whether matter is energy, with one participant arguing that matter can become energy and vice versa, while another expresses uncertainty about this terminology.
  • A participant draws an analogy between matter as energy in a bound state, comparing it to ice being water in a bound state.
  • One participant describes energy as a bookkeeping device related to conservation laws, discussing the evolution of the concept in the context of kinetic energy and relativity.
  • A later post challenges the definition of "inertial resistance," suggesting that inertia relates to resistance to changes in momentum and introduces the concept of force.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relationship between energy and mass, with no consensus reached on the definitions or interpretations of energy. Some participants agree that "degree of inertial resistance" resembles mass, while others challenge this notion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various interpretations of energy that depend on definitions and may involve unresolved terminology. The relationship between mass and energy remains a point of contention, with differing analogies and explanations presented.

Avgiu
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
I have heard one definition of energy meaning a degree of inertial resistance... can anyone give me a different working condition for the word
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Degree of inertial resistance sounds more like mass to me... *shrug*
 
In physics, energy is the capability of something to do work. And yes, a "degree of inertial resistance" is mass.
 
yea degree of inertial resistance does sound like mass. but mass is energy according to E=MC^2 so i guess its right in a way. my pinky is energy along with my textbook and keyboard
 
Matter is not energy, matter can become energy and vice vesa.
 
I'm not quite in agreement with that, but it might be just a matter of me using the wrong terminology. Given the wave functions involved, I always consider matter to be energy in a bound state, roughly analogous to ice being water in a bound state.
 
Matter IS... another form of energy or vice versa
 
"Energy" is a bookkeeping device (how many words do you know with three double letters in a row?). People noticed long ago that kinetic energy is conserved in simple collisions so developed "conservation of energy". Of course, if the collision is not "elastic" that doesn't work so they added "heat" as a type of energy to "explain" that (and keep "conservation of energy" true). When relativity made it clear that mass could be converted to energy (and vice-versa) mass itself was declared a kind of energy just to make "conservation of energy" still work!
 
Avgiu said:
I have heard one definition of energy meaning a degree of inertial resistance... can anyone give me a different working condition for the word
The term Inertial resistance has never been defined in physics. Let me offer this;

inertia is defined as the amount by which a body resists changes in momentum. So what would you call something which resist a change in momentum? I'd call that "force" in that F = dp/dt.

The definition of energy is given here

http://www.geocities.com/physics_world/mech/what_is_energy.htm

Pete
 

Similar threads

Graduate Could the Laws of Physics Be Proportional to Entropy?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
High School Does Energy Exist as a Physical Entity or Merely a Mathematical Concept?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
4K
Graduate "Heuristics" for Casimir: how close to reality do they have to be?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
High School The work done by two objects on each other
  • · Replies 55 ·
2
Replies
55
Views
5K
High School Head or Tails: The Question of Determinism and Probability
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
High School Formal definition of work done
  • · Replies 48 ·
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
High School Rotating Capacitor: Concentrating energy using accessible technology
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Undergrad Direct and alternating current, a personal approach to understand them
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
High School Explanations about Kardashev type 1 civilizations
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
Undergrad Trying to better understand what viscosity really is
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
17K