Mechanical Energy Essay Research Paper Have you

Mechanical Energy Essay, Research Paper

Have you ever

wondered how a jet aircraft lifts its tremendous

weight off the ground, or what gives a runner the

stamina to reach the finish line in a race? In order

to answer all these questions we must talk about

the transformation of one sort of energy into

another. The jet aircraft gets its power from jet

turbines. These powerful jet engines create a

high-pressure stream of very hot gases that push

the aircraft forward as they leave the engine. This

is an example of heat being transformed into

movement. This is sometimes described as

Mechanical Energy. However, this transformation

could not take place without the fuel that the

aircraft gets within its wings or fuselage. Fuel is

considered a chemical energy. This diagram shows

how the jet engine acts as energy to lift the aircraft

off the surface of earth. Fuel can take the form of

gases, solids or liquids. When fuels combine with

oxygen from the air, they release their stored

energy as heat. We recognize this process as

burning. The individual relies on food for fuel

which contains energy-giving substances that our

bodies can store until we need this energy to use

our muscles. When we do use our muscles within

us, we may not always be sure that heat is given

off. Our bodies do not burst into flames but the

perspiration on our skin is a clue to what is

happening. The movement of the windsurfer has a

different explanation. The windsurfer is propelled

along by a sail which collects mechanical energy

from the winds that sweep along the water. This

energy has been produced by the sun which

warms the earth’s surface and sets the air above in

motion. The sun’s heat comes to the earth as a

form of radiant energy. When the heat reaches the

surface of the earth, it causes the land or seas to

rise in temperature. The sun is very hot. Infact, the

center of the sun can reach temperatures of up to

27 million degrees Fahrenheit. This is because of

another kind of energy reaction where new

substances are continually being created as others

are being destroyed. This reaction is known to us

as the Nuclear Reaction. Today we are trying to

imitate this reaction in improving our energy

supply. Scientists have calculated that the sun has

enough fuel to go on producing energy at its

present rate for about five billion years. On earth

man-made nuclear reactions are used to produce

a form of power we know as electricity. Electricity

can be transformed into other kinds of energy such

as heat, light and radio waves. Humans have also

used the idea of nuclear reactions as a type of

weapon. We call this powerful weapon the

Atomic Bomb. Electrical energy can also be used

to produce laser beams. This involves energy

being concentrated to a specific narrow point

where the impact of so much power creates heat

able to cut through metals. Bibliography

Discovering Energy, Frazer, Frank Trewin

Copplestone Books Ltd, 1981. Encyclopedia

Britannica, Vol. 6 Encyclopedia Britannica, 1979.