It is not possible to generate or break energy, maintains the law of conservation of energy, but the transformation from one modality to another does occur.
The law of conservation of energy is the first of the principles that govern thermodynamics . It is also contemplated within the fields of analytical mechanics and chemistry (in the latter case, when analyzing the characteristics of a chemical reaction it is confirmed that there is conservation of mass and energy ). The so-called Noether theorem , meanwhile, is very appropriate to demonstrate how energy is conserved taking into account that, over time, the laws of physics do not change.
This postulate establishes that the transformation of energy is possible as time passes but the amount or total level of said energy of isolated systems does not change (which do not interact with other systems).
Multiple options unfold in the face of this reality. Beyond not changing in quantity, although due to certain chemical reactions or tests the sensation of some difference may arise towards the end of the process, the energy existing in the universe mutates. It is impossible to create or destroy it, but there are chances to see how electrical energy can be converted into light or thermal energy , for example. In this regard, it is worth pointing out that the operation of the lamps or light bulbs that we use to illuminate environments is attractive to study because, with just the touch of a switch, it is possible to activate a circuit, precisely, of electrical energy that derives into thermal and light energy .
The law of conservation of energy throughout history
As has been established through research, since ancient times, that is, long before giving entity as such to the so-called law of conservation of energy , theories have been launched and studies have been carried out in relation to the preservation of elements or matter. . Contributions were made on this topic, for example, by the Greeks Empedocles and Epicurus .
Simon Stevin , focused on the idea of the impossible essence of an eventual perpetual motion , resolved issues associated with statics, just as Galileo Galilei made a publication focused on how the potential energy of a body can be converted into kinetic energy and it is possible to observe what same, but in reverse direction.
Although in the time of Christiaan Huygens there were not enough tools to establish differences between elastic and inelastic collisions , this mathematician, astronomer, inventor and physicist of Dutch origin added interesting data on collisions.
Gottfried Leibniz , as well as Johann Benoulli and his son Daniel , Émilie du Châtelet and Karl Friedrich Mohr were other of the many personalities who investigated and made contributions to advance knowledge about energy , its particularities and its changes.
The law of conservation of energy indicates that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant, and the style of energy can vary but without its loss or the emergence of more energy.
More applications of the law of conservation of energy
Below we will describe more applications of the law of conservation of energy because there are many practical examples that demonstrate the importance and usefulness of this principle.
A device that runs on an internal combustion engine , to name one possibility, gathers mechanical energy and, from the fuel, chemical energy . Heat engines , to add another illustrative reference, are characterized by giving away and giving heat in order to transform it into work. Thus, then, it is achieved that thermal energy derives into other forms of energy .
The list of examples even includes refrigerators , a resource widely used daily in millions of businesses and homes to keep food products at low temperatures through the transfer of thermal energy . Something similar happens with air conditioners and heat pumps . Chemical energy , on the other hand, is stored by batteries that, when converted into electrical energy , guarantee the operation of a huge number of objects: from toys to decorative items or household appliances.
The first principle of thermodynamics focuses on the conservation of energy, stating that in a heat exchange between systems the internal energy will not vary.
Fundamental energy concepts
There are multiple fundamental concepts about energy that should be kept in mind before delving deeper into knowledge about what and how energy conservation is.
Firstly, from the theory we can know (or remember) that energy is described as the ability to deploy a certain force in order to carry out work or an action.
Every physical phenomenon, such as the fall of an element from a certain height, is governed by the principle of conservation of energy .
Types of energy
Before reviewing what types of energy exist and can be used in multiple contexts, it is appropriate to remember that the notion of energy is linked to the capacity that allows someone or something to carry out work, get started, move or function and cause a transformation .
It is a magnitude that influences physical changes of state and is addressed by different disciplines.
Above, for example, we refer to potential energy (that which a physical system stores based on its particularities, disposition or position) and kinetic energy (variety that manifests itself in a body as a consequence of its relative movement ). By adding both, the mechanical energy of a physical system or element is established.
On the other hand, it is usual to focus attention on the origin or provenance of the energy , thus gaining notoriety both the set of renewable energy (arising from unlimited and natural resources, as is the case with wind energy obtained taking advantage of the wind and solar energy that is achieved thanks to the electromagnetic radiation that comes from the sun) as the group of non-renewable energy (as nuclear energy is considered, to indicate one as a guide).
Gravitational and electromagnetic radiation, meanwhile, give substance to the radiant energy (linked to electromagnetic waves ) that radiometry and physics specifically analyze.
Just as there are several classifications, there are also plenty of examples of energy transformation , a phenomenon that always, in one way or another, implies the emergence of thermal energy even if it is not used.
Wind energy, energy that arises from harnessing the wind, is very useful when it comes to obtaining electrical energy.
The law of conservation of energy in different disciplines
The law of conservation of energy is studied, addressed and used in different disciplines.
In classical mechanics , the link between work and energy is studied using the kinetic energy theorem , while experts in thermodynamics are governed by four postulates . Among these statements is the first principle of thermodynamics , a proposition in line with the law of conservation of energy that establishes that a closed system is capable of carrying out an exchange of energy with its environment in the form of heat and work , managing to accumulate energy. internal .
In Biology , to detail another area of scientific study, the conservation and transformation of energy are observed in processes such as cellular respiration , photosynthesis or photophosphorylation .
Nor should we overlook the work that is done in Chemistry when experimenting and analyzing the activation energy of a certain chemical reaction or when carrying out research projects that involve either endothermic reactions (which require a heat source ) or exothermic reactions (characterized by the release of energy in the form of heat or light ).
Principles linked to the law of conservation of energy
By focusing attention on principles that are linked to the law of conservation of energy , first of all, the laws of thermodynamics regain visibility and significance.
At the beginning of this article we mentioned the first principle of thermodynamics , but we must not lose sight of the zero principle (associated with temperature), the second principle of thermodynamics (focused on entropy ) or the third principle of thermodynamics ( also known as Nernst's postulate ).
By continuing to accumulate references, we reach mechanics, a field in which Newton's laws (law of inertia, fundamental law of dynamics and principle of action and reaction) and Hooke's law (which is applicable to elastic bodies) are valuable. considering the elastic limit, being a vital tool in engineering, molecular mechanics and seismology, for example).
Energy conservation also involves individual and social commitment to spend as little energy as possible without sacrificing comfort, betting in this framework on energy efficiency .
The principle of conservation of linear momentum , as well as the principle of conservation of angular momentum , also connect to the postulate of conservation of energy .
Ohm's law (whose content revolves around electrical circuits), Faraday's law (essential when generating electricity), Lenz's law (understood as a corollary of the principle of conservation of energy but adapted to induction electromagnetic) and Maxwell's equations (which encompasses the main basis of the conservation of electric charge ) are also linked at some point with the already named law of conservation of energy that has so many implications within modern physics .