Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
Energy is a _property_ of a system; It is not stuff which can be moved,
transformed, transferred, poured, etc. Blue might be a property of a
system -- One would not conceive of saying that "blue"
moves/flows/transfers/etc. Blue _paint_ can flow -- a substance can
flow. But properties don't move independently.
Likewise, it is also inaccurate to say that for example mass moves -- a
massive block can move, but mass doesn't move independently. Further, it
would be incorrect to say that relativity equates mass and energy,
therefore energy is stuff. No. No No. Neither energy nor mass is
stuff. They are both properties of some system. It is also incorrect to
picture energy as "propagating" through a surface -- or through anything
else. These comments are valid for all other properties of a system as
well eg charge, roughness, size, etc etc ad nauseam.
The energy of a system can be increased or decreased -- but not
transferred, The _only_ way to change the level of the energy of a system
is to do work on the system.
Consider the following example:....
Someone in a tall building wants to descend quickly.
Now does energy move? Well yes. The internal energy of the person moves
as the hapless fellow slides. So does the kinetic and potential energy of
the person. The brown of his hair moves. His mass moves. The charge
of his molecules moves.
But none of these properties is "transferred" from one system to
another.
Yes, the person does work on his environment and changes its energy:
canvas, Earth, etc. And the total energy of the Universe remains
constant.
I agree that sometimes information can be transferred more fluidly with
shorthand language. But only with the great danger that the conversants
forget that it is shorthand -- and in complicated discussions commonly
do. In the classroom it is usually a disaster.
A person walks into the local branch of his bank with some green
dollars. He deposits these dollars in his account. He flies to another
city and goes to his bank's branch there. He draws out some of his
dollars -- Well no he doesn't. He draws out somebody else's dollars, The
physical dollars don't move from city to city. Just the numbers associated
with his account do.
Alright alright alright I don't like it either.