Re: "non-transfer" of energy

[Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>]

At 16:08 27 11 2002 , the following was  received:
> A relaxed spring has no EPE. It is then stretched.
> Would we all agree in this condition that the spring
> has experienced an increase of EPE? If this is so, how
> pray tell did it acquire this energy if there was no
> energy transfer to the spring???

The _only_ way to change the property of energy of a system is to do work
on that system.

> It seems to me that
> the clearest way to explain this process (at least to
> the beginning student) is that the process of doing
> work on the spring has increased its EPE and that this
> energy came from whatever outside agent did the
> stretching. No? John Barrere

Energy is not "transferred!"  ie it does not "move" or "flow"

Just before you started the section on Thermo, you did the work/energy
principle - Why would you now abandon it???

Trying  to say that some new mumbo jumbo is easier for the student to
understand than what s/he has just learned is beyond me.


Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.