Other Forms of Energy Than Mechanical Energy

Other Forms of Energy than Mechanical Energy

At this point, we deal with all other forms of energy by lumping them into a single group called other energy (\(\text{OE}\)). Then we can state the conservation of energy in equation form as

\({\text{KE}}_{\text{i}}+{\text{PE}}_{\text{i}}+{W}_{\text{nc}}+{\text{OE}}_{\text{i}}={\text{KE}}_{\text{f}}+{\text{PE}}_{\text{f}}+{\text{OE}}_{\text{f}}\text{.}\)

All types of energy and work can be included in this very general statement of conservation of energy. Kinetic energy is \(\text{KE}\), work done by a conservative force is represented by \(\text{PE}\), work done by nonconservative forces is \({W}_{\text{nc}}\), and all other energies are included as \(\text{OE}\). This equation applies to all previous examples; in those situations \(\text{OE}\) was constant, and so it subtracted out and was not directly considered.

Making Connections: Usefulness of the Energy Conservation Principle

The fact that energy is conserved and has many forms makes it very important. You will find that energy is discussed in many contexts, because it is involved in all processes. It will also become apparent that many situations are best understood in terms of energy and that problems are often most easily conceptualized and solved by considering energy.

When does \(\text{OE}\) play a role? One example occurs when a person eats. Food is oxidized with the release of carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Some of this chemical energy is converted to kinetic energy when the person moves, to potential energy when the person changes altitude, and to thermal energy (another form of \(\text{OE}\)).

This lesson is part of:

Work, Energy and Energy Resources

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