Law of Conservation of Energy

As per the  law of conservation of energy, the states of energy cannot be created or destroyed, but they can only be changed from one form to another. It is an important physical law in chemistry, used in multiple applications. Energy is vital for doing work, and in living organisms, energy is provided by sunlight. The conservation of energy is the capacity to do any work. Based on the law, a system has the same energy, but it can change state as per requirement.

What is energy? 

Energy is required by both living and non-living entities for doing work. The capacity to do the work is the conversion of energy. The work is done when the force applied to an object changes its shape or moves the object. The unit of energy is Joule. Hence, work can be shown as,

Work = Force x Distance.

There is a connection between power and energy. Energy is directly proportional to the power, and hence used in unit time to do work. Hence, energy is used by converting it from one form to another and is represented by,

Power = Energy/Time

The SI unit of energy is Joule. Hence, 1 Joule of energy is equal to work done in moving an object by 1 Metre multiplied by the force applied of 1 Newton.

1 Joule = 1 Mètre X 1 Newton

What is the Law of Conservation of Energy?

The law of conservation of energy states that it cannot be destroyed nor created, but can be changed from one state to another. Hence, as it only changes the state, the total energy remains constant. In a closed system, the system’s total energy always remains conserved as the system is isolated from its surroundings. In an isolated system, the loss of energy from one system is equal to the amount of energy gained in another system. The law of conservation of energy and amount of energy in a system can be shown by the following equation:

UT = Ui + W + Q

Where,

UT = total energy of the system

UI = initial energy of the system

Q = heat removed or heat added to the system

W = work done

Importance of Law of conservation of energy

The law of conservation of energy and its concept is important to understand how energy moves from one system to another. It helps in understanding how energy is used within the system.

• The conservation of energy is important as it helps transform energy from one form to another. Energy conservation is a great way to understand how fossil fuel is used and how energy is necessary for different functions.
• The law of conservation of energy helps understand how energy is used in the body for various functions. It helps study various chemical reactions and how energy is converted for work.
• The total energy of an isolated system remains constant as it is conserved over time as it is not destroyed or created.
• The conservation of energy is important as it reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Energy conservation helps generate electricity and other forms of energy.
• The importance of the law of conservation of energy helps to understand how energy is used in day to day activities. It explains the concept of various energy forms like kinetic energy, mechanical energy, and potential energy.

What are the examples of the Law of Conservation of Energy?

Here are some examples that break down the concept and provide an understanding of the law of conservation of energy.

• The most common example is converting chemical energy to heat and muscular energy. When humans consume food, it is digested, and hence chemical energy is converted to heat energy. It is even converted to muscular energy, which provides energy for various functions in the body.
• There is the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy when the torch is switched on, and further, it is converted into light and heat energy.
• In the working of the turbine and nuclear fission, nuclear energy is converted into electrical energy. Nuclear fission converts into heat energy used for the generation of steam to turn the turbine to produce electricity.
• When fossil fuel is burnt, it converts the chemical energy into heat and light energy.
• In the case of the hydroelectric power plants, the turbine is rotated as the waterfalls on it. The rotation of the turbine converts the potential energy of water into kinetic energy, which is further converted into electrical energy.

Conclusion

The law of conservation of energy notes helps understand how energy is transformed from one energy to another. The law of conservation of energy states it cannot be destroyed or created, but is converted from one form to another. Energy is vital for doing all functions in living organisms. The law of conservation is used in day-to-day life and how transforming energy from one form to another performs work.