Forms of Energy Flashcards
Work
Transfer of energy
Energy is the power to do work
Power
Rate of energy transfers
Kinetic energy
Energy due to motion
Work-energy principle
The total amount of contained energy on an object equals the change in kinetic energy
Gravitational potential energy
Energy due to position
Law of conservation of energy
Energy that cannot be created or destroyed, only transfered from one form to another
Efficiency
The transfer of energy to generate useful energy
Specific heat capacity
The amount of energy needed to increase 1kg of a substance by 1°c
Temperature
Average kinetic energy of molecules in a substance (°c)
Heat
Ability to transfer thermal energy (J)
Heat transfer
- More mass = more thermal energy needed
- Greater the temp difference, greater the heat flow
Radioactive decay
A process by which the nucleus of an atom disintegrate
Nuclear decay
Involves changes in the nuclei of atoms, sometimes resulting in completely new elements
Half-life
The rate at which an element decomposes
