Definition of conservation of energy Conservation of energy
con•ser•va•tion of en•er•gy
We found 3 definitions of conservation of energy from 3 different sources.
Advertising
What does conservation of energy mean?
WordNet
Noun |
||
| conservation of energy - the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes | ||
| law of conservation of energy, first law of thermodynamics | ||
| conservation the preservation and careful management of the environment and of natural resources | ||
= synonym
= antonym
= related word
= antonym
= related word
Electrical DictionaryThe Standard Electrical Dictionary 💡
-
conservation of energy
A doctrine accepted as true that the sum of energy in the universe is fixed and invariable. This precludes the possibility of perpetual motion. Energy may be unavailable to man, and in the universe the available energy is continually decreasing, but the total energy is the same and never changes.is strictly conserved.]
Wikipedia 
-
In physics, the conservation of energy means that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant, although it may change forms, e.g. friction turns kinetic energy into thermal energy. In thermodynamics, the first law of thermodynamics is a statement of the conservation of energy for thermodynamic systems. In short, the law of conservation of energy states that energy can not be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another, such as when electrical energy is changed into heat energy.
From a mathematical point of view, the energy conservation law is a consequence of the shift symmetry of time; energy conservation is a result of the empirical fact that the laws of physics do not change with time itself. Philosophically this can be stated as "nothing depends on time per se".
Historical information.
Ancient philosophers as far back as Thales of Miletus had the idea that there is some underlying substance of which everything is made. But that is not the same as our concept of "mass-energy" today (for example, Thales thought the underlying substance was water).
In 1638, Galileo published his analysis of several situations -- including the celebrated "interrupted pendulum" -- which can be described (in modernized language) as conservatively converting potential energy to kinetic energy and back again. However, Galileo did not explain the process in modern terms and had not understod the modern concept either. The German Gottfried Wilhelm Lei
