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Physicists have always been intrigued by one scalar quantity that is always present, from the early beginnings of our universe through the big bang, to today’s digital revolution: energy.
With the world population researching the 7 x 109 humans (or 7 giga-humans) mark, the production and effective use of energy is a very important topic.
However, to fully appreciate how energy is acquired and why effective use of it is necessary, you need to understand what energy is.
For example, everyone knows that any type of motion requires energy: traveling from home to school, whether it is by foot, bicycle or motor vehicle requires it. Lifting your school bag from the floor on to your back or to an orbiting space station requires energy. When Dale Steyn or Monré Morkel throw a cricket ball, they require it.
We spend enormous amounts of money to produce and use energy. Wars have started and ended, either because of energy resources, the sudden overpowering use of energy or lack thereof. We all know of many examples of energy and its use, but what does the term energy really mean?
This project is aimed at understanding energy. How is it or can it be defined? How is it converted or transferred? We will look at an example of how the transfer of energy can be modeled mathematically and if it can be experimentally verified.
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