5.1 Energy Basics
3 min read•june 24, 2024
Energy is the driving behind everything in our world. From the motion of objects to the heat we feel, energy takes various forms and constantly changes. Understanding these types and transformations is key to grasping how our universe works.
Heat, , and are closely related but distinct concepts. Knowing how they differ and interact helps us make sense of everyday phenomena, from cooking to climate control. We'll also learn how to calculate heat transfer, a crucial skill in many scientific and practical applications.
Energy Types and Changes
Types and changes of energy
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- represents the energy of motion depends on an object's mass and velocity (moving car, flowing river)
- is stored energy due to an object's position or configuration (stretched spring, book on a shelf)
- depends on an object's height and mass
- is stored within chemical bonds
- is stored in stretched or compressed objects
- states that energy cannot be created or destroyed only converted from one form to another ()
- Physical processes involve energy changes between kinetic and potential forms (rollercoaster converting potential to and vice versa)
- Chemical processes involve energy changes related to breaking and forming chemical bonds
- reactions release energy to the surroundings
- reactions absorb energy from the surroundings
Heat vs thermal energy vs temperature
- represents the total kinetic energy of particles in a substance due to their random motion depends on the number of particles and their average kinetic energy
- Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance reflects the intensity of thermal energy measured in Kelvin (K), Celsius (℃), or Fahrenheit (℉)
- Heat is the transfer of thermal energy between substances due to a temperature difference flows from higher to lower temperature measured in joules (J) or
Specific heat and heat capacity
- is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 Kelvin or 1 degree Celsius measured in J/(g·K) or J/(g·℃) varies depending on the substance
- is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an entire object or system by 1 Kelvin or 1 degree Celsius measured in J/K or J/℃ depends on the mass and of the substance calculated using
- Substances with high specific heat capacities require more energy to change their temperature (water has a high specific making it an effective coolant)
- Understanding specific heat is crucial for heat transfer applications (cooking, insulation, climate control systems)
Calculations for heat transfer
- Heat transfer can be calculated using the formula where Q is heat transferred (J), m is mass (g), c is specific heat capacity (J/(g·K) or J/(g·℃)), and is temperature change (K or ℃)
- Steps to calculate heat transfer:
- Identify the mass, specific heat capacity, and temperature change of the substance
- Substitute the values into the heat transfer formula
- Solve for Q to determine the amount of heat transferred
- Example: Calculate the heat required to raise the temperature of 500 g of water from 20℃ to 80℃ (specific heat capacity of water: 4.18 J/(g·℃))
- or 125.4 kJ
Energy, Work, and Power
- is the transfer of energy when a force is applied to an object, causing it to move in the direction of the force
- Force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object
- is the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, measured in watts (joules per second)
- is the study of heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work
- Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system, which tends to increase in natural processes
Key Terms to Review (29)
Calories (cal): A calorie (cal) is a unit of energy. In chemistry, it is commonly used to quantify the amount of energy transferred in reactions.
Chemical Potential Energy: Chemical potential energy is the stored energy within the chemical bonds of a substance that can be released through a chemical reaction. It represents the potential for a chemical system to undergo a change and produce energy in the form of heat, light, or other forms of energy.
Chemical thermodynamics: Chemical thermodynamics studies the interrelation of heat and work with chemical reactions or physical changes. It applies principles of thermodynamics to predict the direction and extent of chemical processes.
Elastic Potential Energy: Elastic potential energy is the stored energy possessed by an object due to its deformation or change in shape. It is the energy that is released when the object returns to its original shape, and it is directly proportional to the square of the displacement and the stiffness of the material.
Endothermic: Endothermic refers to a process or reaction that absorbs heat from the surrounding environment. This means that the system undergoing the endothermic process requires an input of energy in the form of heat in order to proceed. Endothermic processes are central to understanding various topics in chemistry, including energy basics, enthalpy, dissolution, equilibrium, and free energy.
Endothermic process: An endothermic process is a chemical reaction or physical change that absorbs heat energy from its surroundings. These processes result in a decrease in the temperature of the surrounding environment.
Energy Conversion: Energy conversion is the process of transforming one form of energy into another. It is a fundamental principle in physics and chemistry, where energy is neither created nor destroyed, but rather converted from one state to another to power various processes and systems.
Exothermic: Exothermic refers to a chemical reaction or process that releases energy in the form of heat to the surrounding environment. These reactions produce more energy than they consume, resulting in a net release of heat.
Exothermic process: An exothermic process is a chemical reaction or physical change that releases heat to its surroundings. This release of energy usually results in an increase in the temperature of the surroundings.
Force: Force is a vector quantity that represents the interaction between two objects, causing a change in the motion or shape of those objects. It is a fundamental concept in physics that describes the push or pull experienced by an object due to the influence of another object or system.
Gravitational Potential Energy: Gravitational potential energy is the potential energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. It is the energy an object has by virtue of its position relative to the Earth's surface or other massive objects, and it is directly proportional to the object's mass and its height above the reference point.
Heat (q): Heat (q) is the transfer of thermal energy between two bodies due to a temperature difference. It flows from a hotter object to a cooler one.
Heat Capacity: Heat capacity is a measure of the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree. It is a fundamental property that describes how much heat a material can absorb or release without undergoing a phase change.
Heat capacity (C): Heat capacity (C) is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. It is an extensive property dependent on the quantity of the substance.
Joule: The joule (J) is the standard unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI). It measures the amount of work done or energy transferred when a force of one newton acts upon an object to provide a displacement of one meter in the direction of the force.
Kinetic energy: Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. It is given by the formula $KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2$, where $m$ is mass and $v$ is velocity.
Kinetic Energy: Kinetic energy is the energy of motion possessed by an object. It is the energy an object has by virtue of being in motion and is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the square of its velocity.
Law of Conservation of Energy: The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant; it is said to be conserved over time. This means that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another.
Potential energy: Potential energy is the stored energy of an object due to its position in a force field, such as gravitational or electrostatic. It has the potential to do work when released.
Potential Energy: Potential energy is the stored energy an object possesses due to its position or state, which can be converted into kinetic energy or other forms of energy when the object undergoes a change. It is a fundamental concept in the study of energy and its transformations.
Power: Power is the rate at which energy is transferred or the amount of work done per unit of time. It is a fundamental concept in the study of energy and its transformations, describing the efficiency and capacity of systems to perform work or produce change.
Specific Heat Capacity: Specific heat capacity is a measure of the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree. It quantifies a material's ability to store thermal energy and is an important property in understanding energy transfers and thermodynamic processes.
Specific heat capacity (c): Specific heat capacity ($c$) is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. It is a property that varies between different materials.
Temperature: Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a substance. It determines the direction of heat flow between objects.
Thermal energy: Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of particles in a substance due to their random motion. It is often associated with temperature and measured in joules.
Thermal Energy: Thermal energy is the total kinetic energy of the random motion of the particles (atoms and molecules) within a substance. It is the energy associated with the heat of an object and is directly related to its temperature.
Thermodynamics: Thermodynamics is the branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat, work, temperature, and energy. It describes the fundamental physical laws governing the transformation of energy and the flow of heat, which are essential to understanding the behavior of chemical systems and processes.
Work: Work is the transfer of energy that occurs when a force is applied to an object, causing the object to move in the direction of the force. It is a fundamental concept in physics that describes the relationship between energy, force, and displacement.
Work (w): Work (W) is the energy transferred to or from an object via a force acting over a distance. It is measured in joules (J) and calculated as the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force.