How does an energy system work?

Answer 1

Energy is transferred or moves from one object or place to another. This is what we refer to when we say that energy "flows". For example, when a burner on your stove is hot, the heat (thermal) energy flows or is transferred from the burner to a pan, or the room, or maybe even your hand. Another example is when a moving object, such as a cue ball, strikes a none moving object, the eight ball, causing the eight ball to move. Thus some of the energy of the cue ball (kinetic energy) is transferred to the eight ball. As you can see there are different forms of energy...two are described above. To further complicate things energy changes form and this contributes to the idea of energy flow. Here is an example of energy flowing through a system by transfer and transformation. The chemical energy stored in natural gas is transformed into thermal energy when the gas burns in a stove burner. The thermal energy of the burning gas is transfered to the pan and transfered again to the water inside the pan. As the water in the pan gets hotter and begins to boil, the steam causes the lid on the pan to move (rattle about as the pan of water is rapidly boiling). Since the lid is moving, it has kinetic energy. Energy flowed in this example as it moved from the gas to the pan to the water to the lid. Several changes we required for energy to flow through this system. Energy changed form (transformed) from chemical energy to thermal energy to kinetic energy. Keep in mind that I left a few things out...like the electomagnetic energy also released when the gas burned and the fact that thermal energy is also is best understood in terms of moving particles.

Answer 2

an action or device that has an input of energy in order to do work and have a useful output.

example:

clapping hands (to make noise)

mechanical energy(input), (then) sound energy (useful output) + thermal energy (waste output)

Answer 3

Energy flows from the greatest concentration of energy to lower concentrations of energy. This causes entropy to increase. This flow from greater to lower concentrations is true for thermal energy, radiant energy, heat energy, energy of all types. This continues until entropy is maximum.