C6 Terms Flashcards
(42 cards)
chemical energy
The potential energy stored in the chemical bonds between atoms that is released or absorbed during chemical reactions.
conservation of energy
Law stating that the total amount of energy entering the process equals the total of all the forms of energy that exist at the end of the process. Also known as the first law of thermodynamics.
electrical energy
The ability to do work through the action of the electromagnetic force on and by electrical charges.
energy
The ability to do work.
joule
The SI unit of energy; equal to 1 Newton-meter of work.
It is a positive scalar quantity.
kinetic energy
The energy of motion which depends only on the system’s mass and speed; a form of mechanical energy.
mass energy
“The energy equivalent to matter itself, according to the equation in Einstein’s special theory of relativity, E = mc2.”
magnetic energy
The ability of a magnetic field to do work on magnetic objects and on moving electrical charges.
mechanical energy
The energy of a system due to its position or its motion.
partial elastic collision
A collision between two objects in which momentum is conserved but some of their kinetic energies is lost to other forms of energy during the collision. The objects are slightly deformed but rebound.
nuclear energy
The potential energy stored in an atom’s nucleus that is released or absorbed when an atom experiences nuclear fission or fusion.
periodic motion
“Recurring back-and-forth or cyclical motion of a system in a regular time interval, called a period.”
potential energy
The energy of a system due to its position or condition; a form of mechanical energy.
efficiency
“For a machine or process, the ratio of energy or work produced to the energy or work present beforehand; a measure of the effectiveness of the machine or process for converting energy from one form to another.”
elastic collision
A collision between two objects in which the momentums and kinetic energies of the colliding objects are conserved.
acoustic energy
The transmission of energy through matter by the periodic motion of particles (mechanical waves).
thermal energy
“The sum of the kinetic energies of all the particles in an object, directly proportional to the temperature of the object.”
gravitational potential energy
The potential energy of a system due to its weight and its height above a zero reference height.
elastic force
“A variable force exerted by an elastic object (e.g., a spring or a rubber band) that increases in proportion to the object’s deformation from its relaxed state; the source of elastic potential energy.”
elastic potential energy
The potential energy of a system due to an elastic force acting on it and its distance from a zero reference position.
electromagnetic radiant energy
“The combined action of electrical and magnetic energies in the form of wavelike, radiant energy.”
First law of thermodynamics
energy conservation
“Law stating that energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form.”
inelastic collision
“A collision between two objects in which the deformation is so severe that they stick together. While total momentum is conserved, total kinetic energy is greatly reduced by the amount of energy required to deform the objects.”
Why is energy important?
It enables life processes.
