Meaning of Energy? Definition, Concept and Parts of an Energy

Meaning of Energy

What is Energy: Energy is a concept that is used in the ordinary sense to designate the strength or activity of a person, object or organization.

The term energy derives from the Greek energos, whose original meaning is action force or workforce, and energy which means activity, operation.

It is a concept of great importance in physics and is associated with the ability to produce or perform anybody, work, action or movement.

Definition of Energy

Energy is the capacity that a body possesses to perform an action or work or produce a change or transformation, and is manifested when it passes from one body to another.

A matter possesses energy as a result of its movement or position in relation to the forces acting on it.

Various natural resources or natural phenomena are capable of supplying and providing energy in any of its forms and are therefore considered natural sources of energy or energy resources.

There are two types, renewable sources, which when used do not run out, such as sunlight, wind, rain, river currents, etc.; and non-renewable sources, which run out when used, such as oil, natural gas or coal.

Energy Concept

The concept of energy is related to the ability to generate movement or achieve the transformation of something. In the economic and technological field, energy refers to a natural resource and the associated elements that allow its industrial use.

For example: "The country has serious energy problems due to lack of investment", "Gómez is a very energetic player, capable of changing the team's physiognomy", "In the last week, the power has already been cut off three times".

The concept of Physical Energy

In Physics, different types of energy are distinguished, with Thermodynamics being the area of physics that studies how energy creates movement.

The universal law of energy conservation, which is the foundation of the first principle of thermodynamics, indicates that the energy linked to an isolated system remains constant over time:

"Energy is not created or destroyed; it is only transformed."

The unit of energy defined by the International System of Units is July (Newton x meter). Although there are many other energy units, some of them in disuse.

Types of energy

There are some types of energy defined either theoretically, physically, chemically or technologically. Some of them, for example, are:

Potential energy is the energy of a body as a function of its position within a given system.

Kinetic energy is the energy of a body in motion caused by its speed.
Nuclear or atomic energy is the energy released by the disintegration of the nuclei of atoms.

Electromagnetic energy, which is composed of radiant energy, heat energy, and electrical energy.

In chemistry, there is ionization energy, it is the energy needed to ionize a molecule or atom, and the bonding energy, it is the potential energy stored in the chemical bonds of a compound.

In technology and economics, energy refers to a natural resource (including its associated technology) for industrial or economic use.

There are two types of energy, renewable energy, such as wind, hydro, solar and non-renewable energy, such as coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy.

See also Renewable Resources.

Types of renewable energy

The types of renewable or alternative energies refer to those extracted through renewable resources, that is, energies obtained through elements in nature that are gradually self-renewed and not those that have a limited source that will be exhausted over time. Some of them are:

Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy, also called atomic energy, is the energy that is released spontaneously or artificially in the nuclear reactions that occur in these atomic nuclei.

Nuclear energy can be obtained by nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. Nuclear energy can be transformed for a warlike purpose such as nuclear weapons or for a peaceful purpose such as nuclear reaction by allowing the production of electrical energy, thermal energy, and mechanical energy.

Wind energy

Wind energy is the energy obtained from the wind. Currently, wind energy is primarily used to produce electricity by means of wind turbines connected to large electricity distribution networks.

Wind energy is defined as a clean, renewable resource that does not pollute the environment with gases or aggravate the greenhouse effect.

Radiant energy

Radiant energy is that which electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) rays, among others, possess. Radiant energy when it collides with matter can be reflected, transmitted and absorbed.

Hydroelectric energy

Hydraulic energy is that which is obtained through the force of the fall of water bodies. Also called hydropower, the potential energy from waterfalls is transformed through turbines into electricity.

Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is extracted from the Earth's internal heat, from the subsoil. Geothermal energy is considered one of the cleanest renewable energies since it has a minimum environmental and landscape impact.

Solar energy

Solar energy is that which is obtained from the Sun's radiation on Earth, and which goes through a process of transformation into electrical energy for its use.

Perhaps one of the most common ways of capturing solar energy at present is the collection by means of photovoltaic panels. It is clean and renewable energy.

The economic or industrial exploitation of energy comprises various processes, which vary according to the source used.

These include, for example, the extraction of raw materials (such as oil from wells), their processing (in the case of oil, their refining) and their transformation into energy (by combustion, etc.).

 You may be interested:

• Do you know what a nuclear reactor is? What are the types, Concept
• What is the Atomic Bomb? Concepts and Examples for Schools.
• What is a Hydrogen Bomb? Thermonuclear Weapon - Fusion Device
• Hiroshima, Japan, First Atomic Bomb

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