What is the best definition of energy in science?

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/ ˈɛn ər dʒi /

See synonyms for: energy / energies on Thesaurus.com

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the capacity for vigorous activity; available power: I eat chocolate to get quick energy.

an adequate or abundant amount of such power: I seem to have no energy these days.

Often energies. a feeling of tension caused or seeming to be caused by an excess of such power: to work off one's energies at tennis.

an exertion of such power: She plays tennis with great energy.

the habit of vigorous activity; vigor as a characteristic: Foreigners both admire and laugh at American energy.

the ability to act, lead others, effect, etc., forcefully.

forcefulness of expression: a writing style abounding with energy.

Physics. the capacity to do work; the property of a system that diminishes when the system does work on any other system, by an amount equal to the work so done; potential energy. Symbol: E

any source of usable power, as fossil fuel, electricity, or solar radiation.

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1575–85; <Late Latin energīa<Greek enérgeia activity, equivalent to energe- (stem of energeîn to be active; see en-2, work) + -ia-y3

hy·per·en·er·gy, nounself-en·er·gy, noun

energid, energism, energize, energizer, energumen, energy, energy audit, energy band, energy bar, energy conversion, energy crop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Energy refers to available power or motivation to move, as in Jada found that getting enough sleep each night gave her the energy to live each day.

Energy also refers to power that is used with exertion or force, as in Monique brought energy to the team, leading them to win more games.

In physics, energy is the power or heat that is created when something moves, is burned, or is exerted. It is typically represented in two forms: potential and kinetic energy. Potential energy is power that is stored in something as it sits still or is unburned. For example, coal contains a large amount of potential energy that is released when the coal is burned. As the coal burns, that potential energy becomes kinetic energy, energy related to the particles in the system.

Energy is a common word with several other senses related to power or motivation.

Example: Darryl found out the hard way that cell phone batteries lose their energy in the cold.

The first records of the term energy come from the late 1500s. It ultimately comes from the Greek term energeîn, meaning “to be active.” Activity can come in many forms, but almost all burn energy.

Potential and kinetic energy can be applied to humans, too. As you eat and sleep, you build up potential energy, and as you physically move, think, breathe, or perform any physical action, that energy is used kinetically. When you’re tired, you might say you’re low on energy. And when you decide to put your energies into your art, you are spending more time doing your art and, as a result, spending more of your energy on it.

Energy is a common word used both in the scientific sense and in other senses, particularly those related to the power we or our devices have or don’t have.

Is energy used correctly in the following sentence?

When Quinn focused his energies on his school work, his grades went up.

efficiency, intensity, power, spirit, stamina, strength, toughness, vitality, dynamism, electricity, heat, potential, service, activity, animation, application, ardor, birr, dash, drive

  • Some of that energy enters the water, and when it does, the seismic waves slow down, becoming T waves.

  • Launched in 2015, the project’s purpose is to determine the feasibility of underwater data centers powered by offshore renewable energy.

  • This energy, “orgone,” was supposedly a life-force of sorts.

  • This represents a revolutionary shift in our ability to capture solar energy in real time rather than being dependent on solar energy of the past.

  • Yet negotiations over the final shape of a deal are set to be fraught amid national differences in wealth, energy sources and industrial strength.

  • I think a lot of it has to do with the attitude and the energy behind it and the honesty.

  • Total oil production figures include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and other liquid energy products.

  • The energy economy has always been a fixture of Texas life, and that has not changed.

    Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

  • Day by day, it drives people to distraction by diverting energy to mindless legal compliance.

  • Chickens require significantly less land, water, and energy than all other meat options except farmed salmon.

  • This is the first and principal point at which we can stanch the wastage of teaching energy that now goes on.

    The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

  • Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.

    The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

  • This may be done by taking the humming tone and bringing to bear upon it a strong pressure of energy.

    Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick

  • It was, of course, the suppressed emotional energy finding another outlet.

    The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

  • She was putting her papers tidy again with calm fingers, while his own were almost cramped with the energy of suppressed desire.

    The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

intensity or vitality of action or expression; forcefulness

capacity or tendency for intense activity; vigour

vigorous or intense action; exertion

physics

  1. the capacity of a body or system to do work
  2. a measure of this capacity, expressed as the work that it does in changing to some specified reference state. It is measured in joules (SI units)Symbol: E

a source of powerSee also kinetic energy, potential energy

C16: from Late Latin energīa, from Greek energeia activity, from energos effective, from en- ² + ergon work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

The capacity or power to do work, such as the capacity to move an object (of a given mass) by the application of force. Energy can exist in a variety of forms, such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, thermal, or nuclear, and can be transformed from one form to another. It is measured by the amount of work done, usually in joules or watts. See also conservation of energy kinetic energy potential energy. Compare power work.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

The most important property of energy is that it is conserved — that is, the total energy of an isolated system does not change with time. This is known as the law of conservation of energy. Energy can, however, change form; for example, it can be turned into mass and back again into energy.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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