Where Does Our Energy Go When We Feel Exhausted?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of feeling exhausted without engaging in physical work, exploring the concept of energy expenditure in the human body from both a physical and biological perspective.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why exhaustion occurs even without physical work being done, seeking to understand the destination of energy in such scenarios.
  • Another participant argues that even minimal physical effort, such as pushing against a wall, involves muscular work that ultimately converts energy into heat, suggesting that energy is still being expended.
  • A third participant notes that bodily functions like breathing, blood circulation, and mental processes continue even at rest, complicating the understanding of energy use and the feeling of tiredness.
  • This participant also expresses skepticism about the applicability of physics in fully explaining the experience of fatigue, suggesting that while physics is useful, it may not be the most effective tool for this particular inquiry.
  • Another point raised is the idea that the human body functions like a biological machine, which can experience temporary failures or wear despite having sufficient energy reserves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views regarding the nature of energy expenditure and the experience of exhaustion, with no clear consensus reached on the best explanation.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in applying physics to biological phenomena, indicating that assumptions about energy use in living beings may not fully capture the complexities involved.

anirudh
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Why do we exhausted sometimes even when no work(in terms of science) is done.where does our energy go?
 
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Ah, but you are doing work! If you push on a brick wall, even though you do no work on the wall itself, your muscles are doing work on themselves because they aren't rigid objects and will stretch slightly as they try to contract. All of the work is eventually turned into heat through this and through the chemical processes fueling your muscles.
 
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Even when you are sitting, your body breathes, circulates blood, thinks, and creates new flesh and bones.

It is very difficult to use physics to trace where the energy goes in living beings, or to use physics to explain what feeling tired means.

Physics is a tool. A good tool. But it is not the best tool for every job.
 
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The human body is a biological machine. Parts can "fail" or temporarily wear out despite there being lots of "fuel" in the tank.
 
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