large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_81
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The heat could help boil water and run a steam engine. The amount of energy in burning wood could be measured if it were mixed with air and allowed to burn in a closed container that was immersed in a known quantity of water. THE HEAT COULD HELP BOIL WATER AND RUN A STEAM ENGINE THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN BURNING WOOD COULD BE MEASURED IF IT WERE MIXED WITH AIR AND ALLOWED TO BURN IN A CLOSED CONTAINER THAT WAS IMMERSED IN A KNOWN QUANTITY OF WATER
 each case he turned it into heat and allowed the heat to raise the temperature of a given quantity of water. He used the rise in temperature as a measure of the energy. By 1847 he was convinced that any form of energy could be turned into fixed and predictable amounts of heat; that a certain amount of work was equivalent to a certain amount of heat. In that same year, the German physicist Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (1821-1894) advanced the general notion that a fixed amount of energy in one form was equal to the same amount of energy in any other form. Energy might change its form over and over, but not change its amount. None could either be destroyed or created. This is the “law of conservation of energy”. Chemical Energy There is energy in a piece of wood. Left quietly to itself, it seems completely incapable of bringing about any kind of work. Set it on fire, however, and the wood plus the oxygen in the air will give off heat and light that are clearly forms of energy. O HEAT AND ALLOWED THE HEAT TO RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF A GIVEN QUANTITY OF WATER HE USED THE RISE IN TEMPERATURE AS A MEASURE OF THE ENERGY BY EIGHTEEN FORTY SEVEN HE WAS CONVINCED THAT ANY FORM OF ENERGY COULD BE TURNED INTO FIXED AND PREDICTABLE AMOUNTS OF HEAT THAT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WORK WAS EQUIVALENT TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HEAT IN THAT SAME YEAR THE GERMAN PHYSICIST HERMANN LUDWIG FERDINAND VON HELMHOLTZ EIGHTEEN TWENTY ONE EIGHTEEN NINETY FOUR ADVANCED THE GENERAL NOTION THAT A FIXED AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN ONE FORM WAS EQUAL TO THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN ANY OTHER FORM ENERGY MIGHT CHANGE ITS FORM OVER AND OVER BUT NOT CHANGE ITS AMOUNT NONE COULD EITHER BE DESTROYED OR CREATED THIS IS THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY CHEMICAL ENERGY THERE IS ENERGY IN A PIECE OF WOOD LEFT QUIETLY TO ITSELF IT SEEMS COMPLETELY INCAPABLE OF BRINGING ABOUT ANY KIND OF WORK SET IT ON FIRE HOWEVER AND THE WOOD PLUS THE OXYGEN IN THE AIR WILL GIVE OFF HEAT AND LIGHT THAT ARE CLEARLY FORMS OF ENERGY
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