# Energy conservation Definition and 79 Discussions

Energy conservation is the furniture made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an energy service. This can be achieved either by using energy more efficiently (using less energy for a constant service) or by reducing the amount of service used (for example, by driving less). Energy conservation is a part of the concept of Eco-sufficiency. Energy conservation measures (ECMs) in buildings reduce the need for energy services and can result in increased environmental quality, national security, personal financial security and higher savings.
It is at the top of the sustainable energy hierarchy.
It also lowers energy costs by preventing future resource depletion.Energy can be conserved by reducing wastage and losses, improving efficiency through technological upgrades and improved operation and maintenance. On a global level energy use can also be reduced by the stabilization of population growth.
Energy can only be transformed from one form to other, such as heat energy to motive power in cars, or kinetic energy of water flow to electricity in hydroelectric power plants. However machines are required to transform energy from one form to other. The wear and friction of the components of these machine while running cause losses of very high amounts of energy and very high related costs. It is possible to minimize these losses by adopting green engineering practices to improve life cycle of the components.Energy conservation day is celebrated on December 14 every year since 1991.

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1. ### Pan suspended by a spring (Energy + SHM)

I have successfully completed parts A, and B, however, I am confused on Part C. Here was my attempt and the answer key's attempt: My attempt: Since I correctly knew the speed after the collision, and the gravitational potential energy after the collision if I set h=0 at when it was at rest...
2. ### I Conservation of energy in quasar outflows?

I found this article* about the behavior of quasar outflows in cosmology and how they can create a magnetic field. In section 2.1.4., the authors say that when a quasar produces a "wave" or an outflow, the material will be emitted with energy coming from both the quasar itself and the Hubble...
3. ### Energy conservation: electromagnetic wave in matter

Hi, I completely failed this homework. I mean I think I know what happen, but I don't know how to show it mathematically. The energy lost by the wave is used to oscillate the electrons inside the conductor. Thus, the electrons acts like some damped driven oscillators. I guess I have to find...
4. ### I Matter gaining energy from expanding spacetime?

Sean Carroll has an article (https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2010/02/22/energy-is-not-conserved/) where he explains that matter can gain energy from spacetime expansion. At the end of the article, he says: In general relativity spacetime can give energy to matter, or absorb it from...
5. ### I Alexander Vilenkin and energy of a closed universe

For reference:
6. ### I Unified Field Theory

Is there any approach in any books out there, where we consider that in universe exists only one field, let it be called the Unified Field (UF), in which all of the known fields (gravitational, EM field, quark field, gluon field, lepton field, Higgs Field, e.t.c.) are just components (pretty...
7. ### I Time Dependent Sinusoidal Perturbation Energy Conservation

The transition probability -- the probability that a particle which started out in the state ##\psi_a## will be found, at time ##t##, in the state ##\psi_b## -- is $$P_{a \to b} = \frac{|V_{ab}|}{\hbar^2} \frac{sin^2[(\omega_0 - \omega)t/2]}{(\omega_0 - \omega^2}.$$ (Griffiths, Introduction...
8. ### I Energy conservation in Doppler (NOT cosmological) redshifts?

Hi all, My question is about Doppler redshifts, but I'm going to mention cosmological redshifts first because I'm a lay person as far as cosmology's concerned (I'm an amateur astronomer and did a few introductory astrophysics/cosmology courses at university, but my degree focus was planetary...
9. ### B Is energy really not conserved in a constantly expanding Universe?

Is energy really not conserved in a constantly expanding universe?
10. ### A bullet collides perfectly elastically with one end of a rod

A bullet with mass m, velocity v perfectly elastically, vertically collide with one end of a rod on a slippery plane and the bullet stops moving after the collision. Find the mass of the stick M the bullet stops moving after an elastic collision, so all energy is transformed to the rod. There...
11. ### Spring compression -- Ball colliding with a spring-mounted platform

I've tried establishing a systems of equations with -(1/2)kx^2+mpgx+(1/2)mpvp^2=0, but this leads to an annoying quadratic that when solved does not give one of the listed answers. My thought was that the spring's potential energy is going to be equal to the gravitational potential energy and...
12. ### I Interference and conservation of energy in a resonator

It is known that constructive interference in one place must be compensated for by destructive interference in another. Take a simple Fabry Perot resonator for example. The interference occurring at both sides of the first mirror (assuming one incident electric field) compensate each other out...
13. ### I Vacuum energy and Energy conservation

Also, I have heard from physicists that vacuum energy fluctuation (creation and destruction of virtual particles) violates energy conservation. The reason, they justify, is based on uncertainty principle (energy-time form of uncertainty principle), energy can exist and disappear for a very short...
14. ### Conservation of energy proof

Hi all. I'm trying to prove energy conservation in a (maybe) uncommon way. I know there are different ways to do this, but it is asked me to prove it this way and I'm stucked at the end of the proof. I'm considering ##N## bodies moving in a gravitational potential, such that the energy is ##E =...
15. ### Plane pendulum: Lagrangian, Hamiltonian and energy conservation

Hello! I need some help with this problem. I've solved most of it, but I need some help with the Hamiltonian. I will run through the problem as I've solved it, but it's the Hamiltonian at the end that gives me trouble. To find the Lagrangian, start by finding the x- and y-positions of the...
16. ### Energy conservation for objects hanging from a pulley

I have some conceptual questions about this task. In order to get the correct result (I checked the textbook answer) in part (a) I had to assume that the speed for each block is the same at all instants. And that if one block moves down x meters, the other one will move up that same amount of...
17. ### Energy Conservation of a Vertical Spring

Using conservation of energy, 0.5kx^2=mgh=mgx 0.5kx=mg 0.5kx=mg, x=0.15, m=9, g= 9.8 So isn't it k= 1176N/m? For this problem, I understand that you can't use conservation of energy, but why? There is gravitational potential energy at the top and spring elastic energy at the bottom, and no...
18. ### Closest approach from initial velocity and impact parameter

Here were my assumptions: Energy and angular momentum are both conserved because the only force acting here is a central force. The initial angular momentum of this particle is ##L = mv_0b## and we can treat E as a constant in the homework equation given above. I solved for the KE (1/2 mv^2) in...
19. ### Does action at distance in electromagnetism violate energyconservation

Consider two charges A and B separated at distance D. charge B is attached on spring and can move towards and away from charge A. Now charge A is brought closer to charge B and then it is taken back to its original position. Work done in this process is zero because of conservative forces. If...
20. ### I Conflict of domain and endpoints in Noether's theorem

In the derivation of energy conservation, there is the transformation ##q(t)\rightarrow q'(t)=q(t+\epsilon)##, whose end points are kind of fuzzy. The original path ##q(t)## is only defined from ##t_1## to ##t_2##. If this transformation rule is imposed, ##q'(t_2-\epsilon)=q(t_2)## to...
21. ### If a magnet does not feel the Lenz force, will there be a violation of energy?

Consider the following, a magnet and a charge is attached to a platform, which is constrained to move only up and down direction. Now, if magnet is moved towards charge, due to changing magnetic field, an electric field will be created. This electric field will impart force on charge. since the...
22. ### Object A is stationary while objects B and C are in motion.

Homework Statement Object A is stationary while objects B and C are in motion. Forces from object A do 10 J of work on object B and –5 J of work on object C. Forces from the environment do 4 J of work on object B and 8 J of work on object C. Objects B and C do not interact. What are ΔKtot and...
23. ### Energy conservation and friction

Hi, I just started learning physics at university and so I'm looking for help on a simple energy conservation problem. On the bottom right-hand of the image I attached below, you should see that it asks whether the initial speed would increase or decrease if the object was of a greater mass...
24. ### I Energy stored in space-time or space?

I was talking to a graduate physics student about the issue of energy conservation in an expanding universe. I paraphrased the argument against energy conservation as follows - Suppose we have a photon in outer space that is very far from earth. The universe is expanding (by this I meant that in...
25. ### Do magnets lose strength by pulling them apart?

When two magnets already sticked to each other being pulled apart, energy is applied, so I assume that the energy is stored like some sort of potential energy which will be turned back into kinetic energy when they accelerate towards each other to stick back together. So the magnet itself...
26. ### Understanding an electron's emission of electromagnetic waves

Hi to everybody ! I was thinking about something which confuses me about wave emission. The question is simply the following: Does an electron emit light when it accelerate? or just during its deceleration? or maybe when acceleration and deceleration alternates in some order? I'm not really...
27. ### A Energy conservation on Cosmological scales

I'm curious to know whether anyone with good maths has anything to say about Dr Philip Gibbs' covariant formula for conserved currents of energy, momentum and angular- momentum derived from a general form of Noether’s theorem? I'm not a pro mathematician, but it looks relatively robust to me...
28. ### Calculating the frequency of a free electron

I feel like I must be missing something obvious, but I can't figure it out. I have the speed of an electron, and to calculate its frequency i used p = h/λ, then subbed in p =mv and λ= v/f. Giving me the equation f = mv2/h. However, I also could use E = 1/2 mv2 and E = hf to give me the equation...
29. ### Derivation of the energy principle from Gregory Classical Mechanics textbook

I'm working through Gregory's Classical Mechanics and came across his derivation of energy conservation for a system of N particles that is unconstrained. We get to assume all the external forces are conservative, so we can write them as the gradient of a potential energy. There's a step he...
30. ### Finding angular velocity using conservation of energy

Homework Statement In the document below I need to try and find the angular velocity I need help on part b Homework Equations F=ma KE_Translational= 0.5mv^2 KE-Rotational= 0.5Iw^2 Assuming g=10m/s^2 The Attempt at a Solution I have the answer key attached with the question but I am not sure...
31. ### Conservation of momentum - with understanding

I just want to state that i DID solve the problem. I just seek understanding of it. I'd be really grateful if someone could answer two of my questions at the end of this post. The problem I've solved here is just to show what I'm dealing with. 1. Homework Statement Object 1 is moving towards...
32. ### Mechanics - Hooke's law and energy conservation

Homework Statement One end of a light elastic string of stiffness mg/l and natural length l is attached to a point O. A small bead of mass m is fixed to the free end of the string. The bead is held at O and then released so that it will fall vertically. In terms of find the greatest depth to...
33. ### I Velocity addition and conservation of the energy

Hello everyone, For some time I'm a little bit confused about (at the first view) a very simple question, which is about the conversation of the energy of moving objects (in terms of special relativity). As an example let's talk about firearms. If the mass of the gun M1 is infinitely higher...
34. ### Starting height of marble rolling around a loop the loop

Homework Statement The marble rolls down a track and around a loop-the-loop of radius R. The marble has mass m and radius r. What minimum height h must the track have for the marble to make it around the loop-the-loop without falling off? (Use any variable or symbol stated above along with the...
35. C

### Energy conservation in a magnetron

I am trying to understand how energy is conserved in a magnetron. If the electrons are following a circular path in the magnetic field and never reach the anode will there be zero current between the anode and the cathode? If so how does the device consume power from the external circuit...
36. ### Relativity question -- an electron e− and a positron e+ collide, annihilate, and produce Bosons....

Homework Statement In a particle physics lab, an electron e− and a positron e+ collide, annihilate, and produce a W+ boson and a W− boson. Just before the collision, the electron and positron have a total energy of E = 100 GeV each, with velocities pointing along the +x-axis and -x-axis...
37. ### Potential gravitational energy coordinate axis

Homework Statement I know that potential gravitational energy is relative to the reference point that I decide to choose (like in the picture below). But then if, for instance, I set my reference point in the ceiling and my vertically down y-axis to be positive. What would the potential...
38. ### Permanent magnets

First off, I am new here, so please don't tear me apart too hard if I miss or misinterpret something, I'll cotton on eventually :D As I understand it, when a permanent magnet repels an oppositely charged object, such as another oppositely charged permanent magnet, no energy is technically being...
39. ### Minimum Kinetic energy of the hydrogen atom

Homework Statement A hydrogen atom collides with another hydrogen atom at rest. If the electrons in both atoms are in the ground state, what is the minimum kinetic energy of the hydrogen atom such that the hydrogen atom at rest will have its electron in the first excited state after collision...
40. ### Velocity of particle leaving wedge

Homework Statement In the given figure, a wedge of mass 2m is lying at rest on a horizontal surface. The wedge has a cavity which is the portion of a sphere of radius R. A small sphere of mass m is released from the top edge of the cavity to slide down. All surfaces are smooth.Prove the maximum...
41. ### Conservation of momentum - Vertical spring

Homework Statement A block of mass 200g is suspended through a vertical spring. The spring is stretched by 1.0 cm when the block is in equilibrium. A particle of mass 120g is dropped on the block from a height of 45 cm. The particle sticks to the block after the impact. Find the maximum...
42. ### B Is the energy from the mass energy equivalence unbiased?

Let's assume that a system has zero total momentum. The following relationship between mass and energy should apply: E=mc^2. If a system is overall at rest, does that mean that any internal changes to that system, assuming they leave the system with non-negative mass, will not be able to...
43. ### Decay of a particle of mass M into two particles

Homework Statement A particle of mass M and 4-moment P decays into two particles of masses m1 and m2 1) Find the total energy of each particle (lab frame). 2) Show that the kinetic energy T1 of the first particle in the same reference frame is given by T_1= \Delta M (1 - \frac{m_1}{M} -...
44. ### Conservation of energy in refraction

Hello, This has been bugging me for some time now, so I would be interested to see what I have been missing so far. Imagine a single ray of light (made up of many photons) hitting a perfectly non-absorbing (for this wavelength of light) spherical dielectric object, which has finite mass. The...
45. ### Puck momentum problem

Homework Statement A hockey puck of mass M hits two other, identical pucks of mass m. The two pucks fly off with the same speed vf at angles of ±θ relative to the direction the original puck was traveling (see figure). The original puck had initial speed vi, and the two other pucks were...
46. ### Problem - Different weights on a swinging rod

The following problem is from Sears and Zemansky's textbook. A wooden rod of negligible mass and length 80.0 cm is pivoted about a horizontal axis through its center. A white rat with mass 0.500 kg clings to one end of the stick, and a mouse with mass 0.200 kg clings to the other end. The...
47. ### Hoop and falling beads

Hello, I've got a problem and I have no idea how to start. I'll be happy for any hint. Thanks Homework Statement Two beads each of mass m are at the top (Z) of a frictionless hoop of mass M and radius R which lies in the vertical plane. The hoop is supported by a frictionless vertical support...
48. ### How to tell if energy was conserve in a momentum problem?

How can you determine if energy was conserve in a momentum problem? Let's say a small mass "m" hits a larger stationary mass "5m" where the smaller mass "m" flies bounces upward and the larger mass "5m" bounces in a negative downward direction. So from them bouncing off each other I know that...
49. ### I Energy conservation and information conservation

How is information conserved when one form of energy is converted to other? Like how a black hole's gravitational energy is used to create photon pairs near the event horizon, what happens to the information in the gravitational wavepackets (gravitons?) and how is it not lost?
50. ### How to make a Newton Cradle

I want to make a Newton Cradle. Just wondering how I can reduce the loss of energy so the balls keep bumping for a long time