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Communication Vs. Oversimplification


exchemist

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Ah yes, vocabulary must fit topic.  :-)  I did wonder about 'power'.  Almost said 'force' but that didn't seem quite right either.   As for "energy is the capacity for work",   I'm thinking.  "Capacity" = "the maximum amount that something can contain".  Is that the same as "capacity for work"? 

 

Notice how I skip the  math? :-)

No it would meaning 5 rather than 2 in this dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capacity , i.e. capability rather than volume.

 

As for the fairly trivial arithmetic, this is little more than you need to understand an electricity bill.  

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THE WHAT ????????????????????????

This:  But apart from that yes , more or less. Energy is the capacity to do work. But in science, "work" is defined as applying a force through a distance, F x d,  e.g. lifting 1 kg one metre, against the force of gravity (9.81 Newtons for a mass of 1kg) , needs an equal and opposite force to be applied and does 9.81 Joules of work. It therefore requires 9.81 Joules of energy (from your muscles, an electric motor or whatever), to do it. If you do it in a second, you are working at a power rating of 9.81Watts.

 

Well, postponed until the quiet hour. 

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