What is Energy?

Physicists, who are scientists who study force, motion and energy, say that energy
is the ability to do work, and work is moving something against a force, like gravity.
Energy, for biology purposes, can be thought of as the ability to cause some kind of
change. Living organisms require available energy to stay alive, such as the energy
humans get from food. Human civilization requires energy to function, which it gets
from energy resources such as fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable energy.

It can take many different forms: for instance, we’re all familiar with light, heat, and
electrical energy. There are a lot of different kinds of energy in the universe, and
that energy can do different things. Energy can be converted in form, but no
created or destroyed.

The total energy of a system can be subdivided and classified into potential energy,
kinetic energy, or combinations of the two in various ways.

There are 10 types of energy:

-Kynetic Energy: associated with an object’s motion

-Potential Energy: associated with an object because of its position or structure
-Mechanical Energy: results from movement or the location of an object
-Thermal Energy: the temperature difference between two systems.
-Nuclear Energy: results from nuclear reactions
-Chemical Energy: chemical reactions between atoms or molecules
-Electromagnetic Energy: energy from light or electromagnetic waves
-Sonic Energy: sound waves that travel through air or another medium
-Gravitational Energy: attraction between two objects based on their mass
Ionization Energy: binds electrons to the nucleus of its atom
Gravitational Energy: attraction between two objects based on their mass-Ionization
Energy: binds electrons to the nucleus of its atom

How Is Energy Transfer in Newton Balls?

The law of conservation of energy states that energy -- the ability to do work -- can't
be created or destroyed. Energy can, however, change forms, which the Newton's
Cradle takes advantage of -- particularly the conversion of potential energy to
kinetic energy and vice versa.

Let's number the balls one through five. When all five are at rest, each has zero
potential energy because they cannot move down any further and zero kinetic
energy because they aren't moving. When the first ball is lifted up and out, its
kinetic energy remains zero, but its potential energy is greater, because gravity can
make it fall. After the ball is released, its potential energy is converted into kinetic
energy during its fall because of the work gravity does on it.

When the ball has reached its lowest point, its potential energy is zero, and its
kinetic energy is greater. Because energy can't be destroyed, the ball's greatest
potential energy is equal to its greatest kinetic energy. When Ball One hits Ball
Two, it stops immediately, its kinetic and potential energy back to zero again. But
the energy must go somewhere -- into Ball Two.
Ball One's energy is transferred into Ball Two as potential energy as it compresses
under the force of the impact. As Ball Two returns to its original shape, it converts
its potential energy into kinetic energy again, transferring that energy into Ball
Three by compressing it. The ball essentially functions as a spring.
This transfer of energy continues on down the line until it reaches Ball Five, the last
in the line. When it returns to its original shape, it doesn't have another ball in line to
compress. Instead, its kinetic energy pushes on Ball Four, and so Ball Five swings
out. Because of the conservation of energy, Ball Five will have the same amount of
kinetic energy as Ball One, and so will swing out with the same speed that Ball One
had when it hit.

One falling ball imparts enough energy to move one other ball the same distance it
fell at the same velocity it fell. Similarly, two balls impart enough energy to move
two balls, and so on.

But why doesn't the ball just bounce back the way it came? Why does the motion
continue on in only one direction? That's where momentum comes into play.
Momentum is the force of objects in motion; everything that moves has momentum
equal to its mass multiplied by its velocity. Like energy, momentum is conserved.

Michael Faraday’s Contribution to Science

Michael Faraday (1791 – 1867) was an English scientist who made an immense
contribution to physics and chemistry especially in the fields of electromagnetism
and electrochemistry. Among his inventions are the first electric motor and the first
electromagnetic generator. His discoveries include the principles underlying
electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis. He also discovered the
principle of electrostatic shielding to invent the Faraday Cage and found the first
experimental evidence that linked electromagnetism and light through a
phenomenon known as Faraday Effect.

In 1820, Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Orsted discovered that flow
of electric current through a wire produced a magnetic field. His discovery of
electromagnetism initiated intensive research in the field. Michael Faraday was the
first to understand that this discovery meant that if a magnetic pole could be
isolated, it ought to move constantly in a circle around a current-carrying wire. In
1822, Faraday invented the first electric motor, a simple device that could convert
electrical energy into mechanical energy. Known as a homopolar motor, his
invention was useful only for demonstrative purposes. However, it was the first step
in the evolution of the immensely useful electric motor.

In 1831, Faraday conducted his most famous experiment. He wrapped two wires
around the opposite ends of an iron ring. He plugged one wire into a galvanometer,
and watched it as he connected the other wire to a battery. When he connected
and disconnected the wire to the battery, a transient current was produced which
could be seen in the galvanometer. This induction was due to the change in
magnetic flux that occurred when the battery was connected and disconnected. It
was thus a manifestation of electromagnetic induction. The phenomenon
responsible for Faraday’s experiment is now known as mutual induction. It occurs
when change in current in one inductor induces a voltage in another nearby
inductor. It is important for being the mechanism by which transformers work.

In 1836, Faraday observed that the excess charge on a charged conductor resides
only on its exterior and had no influence on anything enclosed within it. This
happens as an external electrical field causes the electric charges within the cage’s
conducting material to be distributed such that they cancel the field’s effect in the
cage’s interior. Faraday applied this principle to invent the Faraday Cage, which is
an enclosure used to block electric fields. Faraday cages are still used for various
purposes like to protect people and equipment against lightning strikes and to
create dead zones for mobile communications. In 1843, Michael Faraday
conducted his famous ice pail experiment to demonstrate this shielding effect. This
experiment was the first precise quantitative experiment on electrostatic charge and
is still widely used in physics lectures to teach the principles of electrostatics.