Re: Energy, etc

["Michael N. Monce" <mnmon@CONNCOLL.EDU>]

On Tue, 3 Aug 1999, Jim Green wrote:

> It is simply incorrect to say that energy "flows" or  mass "flows" nor blue
> "flows" nor, alas, charge "flows".  One sometimes gets away with mushy
> language, but  often the language fails and so does the discussion or
> pedagogy in the classroom.


        Ok, I'll jump in too.  Didn't this list spend a lot of time
railing against the word 'heat' being used as a noun??  Weren't we all in
agreement that 'heat' means 'energy transfer'?  But, if energy cannot
'flow' (a word I actually dislike; too caloric sounding), what do we do
with the dQ in dU=dQ-dW ?

                                Mike Monce
                                Connecticut College