What you are referring to here is the law of conservation of energy, which applies to a closed system. A closed system is a system where the energy cannot escape or be introduced. So if you are thinking about the earth for example, it isn’t a closed system as we received energy from the sun.
But I think what you are asking is where did all the energy in the universe come from. Well, this is a very interesting question that as far as I know has not been completely answered. The big bang theory suggests that all energy ‘exploded’ into existence at the start of the universe. But Einstein’s theories leave open whether there is conservation of energy in the universe.
Ultimately, I don’t really know. That is the great thing about being a scientist. There are many things we don’t know which means there is always something else to find out, and you don’t have to know everything about all things.
One of the deepest mysteries of the Universe. Energy can be converted from one form to another. So, for example, the kinetic energy of falling water can be converted into electrical energy by means of a turbine that spins a generator (copper wire and magnets). That’s pretty amazing for a start. However, Einstein’s famous equation, “energy = mass times the speed of light squared”, tells us that we can convert mass into energy and vice versa. This is essential to life on Earth, as the Sun combines hydrogen atoms into Helium atoms via nuclear fusion. The small energy difference between the starting materials (hydrogen) and the final materials (helium) is converted into gamma-rays, deep in the core of the Sun. These gamma-rays eventually make it to the surface of the Sun and come to us as heat and light, allowing life to exist on Earth. So, energy can be converted between different forms and matter and energy can be converted into each other. But where did it all come from? We think the Big Bang, the start of our Universe at which all of space and time and matter and energy were created, somehow. Nobody knows the answer to this. Modern astrophysics experiments, such as the search for Dark Energy and Dark Matter, as well as complementary experiments in particle physics at facilities like the Large Hadron Collider, may offer clues. Wide open, big questions in physics. Makes my head spin.
Hi shaunm,
Nice question, and one that no one really knows the answer to! (One of the fun things about science – there is always a mystery to think and learn about!)
The type of system you have described in your question is called a closed system. The total energy that is in the system can’t actually leave or be destroyed and more energy can’t be introduced, so the total energy is conserved but it can change its ‘form’. This is why sometimes you might think the energy in a particular system has gone away, but is has actually just changed it form. Here is an example of what I mean. If you have a ball bouncing, it is in motion and so we say that the ball has ‘kinetic energy’ (the word ‘kinetic’ means ‘related to motion’). If the ball is stopped from bouncing and is held still, we would now say that is has ‘potential energy’ (its called potential energy because it can potentially be converted into other forms of energy like kinetic energy). So the ball still has its energy, just in a different form. 🙂
Hi Shaunm
This is a great question.
What you are referring to here is the law of conservation of energy, which applies to a closed system. A closed system is a system where the energy cannot escape or be introduced. So if you are thinking about the earth for example, it isn’t a closed system as we received energy from the sun.
But I think what you are asking is where did all the energy in the universe come from. Well, this is a very interesting question that as far as I know has not been completely answered. The big bang theory suggests that all energy ‘exploded’ into existence at the start of the universe. But Einstein’s theories leave open whether there is conservation of energy in the universe.
Ultimately, I don’t really know. That is the great thing about being a scientist. There are many things we don’t know which means there is always something else to find out, and you don’t have to know everything about all things.
1
One of the deepest mysteries of the Universe. Energy can be converted from one form to another. So, for example, the kinetic energy of falling water can be converted into electrical energy by means of a turbine that spins a generator (copper wire and magnets). That’s pretty amazing for a start. However, Einstein’s famous equation, “energy = mass times the speed of light squared”, tells us that we can convert mass into energy and vice versa. This is essential to life on Earth, as the Sun combines hydrogen atoms into Helium atoms via nuclear fusion. The small energy difference between the starting materials (hydrogen) and the final materials (helium) is converted into gamma-rays, deep in the core of the Sun. These gamma-rays eventually make it to the surface of the Sun and come to us as heat and light, allowing life to exist on Earth. So, energy can be converted between different forms and matter and energy can be converted into each other. But where did it all come from? We think the Big Bang, the start of our Universe at which all of space and time and matter and energy were created, somehow. Nobody knows the answer to this. Modern astrophysics experiments, such as the search for Dark Energy and Dark Matter, as well as complementary experiments in particle physics at facilities like the Large Hadron Collider, may offer clues. Wide open, big questions in physics. Makes my head spin.
1
Hi shaunm,
Nice question, and one that no one really knows the answer to! (One of the fun things about science – there is always a mystery to think and learn about!)
The type of system you have described in your question is called a closed system. The total energy that is in the system can’t actually leave or be destroyed and more energy can’t be introduced, so the total energy is conserved but it can change its ‘form’. This is why sometimes you might think the energy in a particular system has gone away, but is has actually just changed it form. Here is an example of what I mean. If you have a ball bouncing, it is in motion and so we say that the ball has ‘kinetic energy’ (the word ‘kinetic’ means ‘related to motion’). If the ball is stopped from bouncing and is held still, we would now say that is has ‘potential energy’ (its called potential energy because it can potentially be converted into other forms of energy like kinetic energy). So the ball still has its energy, just in a different form. 🙂
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I think the physicists and chemists have covered this nicely. I’m going to go look for some more bacteria questions.
0