Question

If energy is only a trait as an "ability" given to all existing physical objects what does an energy source mean? In this case most(if not all) objects are energy sources? But harnessing it is the key to making it a feasible energy source right?

Answer 1

If you all remember our my previous question this is based on it...

@Jemurray3 @experimentX @ghazi

Answer 2

@Carl_Pham @Kainui Join please. :)

Answer 3

Basically since we concluded that energy is an "ability" given to all physical objects, they can move and do work... Aren't they all sources of energy? If they all have "Energy" within them? This can sound a bit confusing but try to relate my current question with my previous one.

Answer 4

What do you all think about this theoretically?

Answer 5

energy is the ability to work

Answer 6

Something having energy is the same as something having the capacity to do work.

Two ways to transfer energy is through heat and work.

So if you have a system that's cold and a system that's hot next to each other, the random motion of the hot particles will transfer kinetic energy to the cold system. This is transferring energy by heat.

Now if you have a system such as a hill and a block, if you push the block up the hill you are putting work into the system by an ordered motion.

The difference between work and heat is that work is organized transfer of energy while heat is disorganized transfer of energy.

Answer 7

Thank you @Kainui

Heat is pretty much also the work of subatomic particles in a disorganized manner.
Good point though!

Answer 8

Yes, things like pressure (like air pressure in a balloon) is a macroscopic idea. When you get down to the atomic level of one particle you can't distinguish between work and heat. It's only when you look at the relative directions between particles that the concept of heat vs work arises.

If you ever study thermodynamics you'll see that this has to do with entropy, which people like to call "disorder".

Another thing to consider is that particles can not only move with respect to other molecules, but also move with respect to themselves which is another idea altogether separate from heat and work, and that is of vibration, stretching, and rotation of the molecule itself.