Dissipation of Energy Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

What does it mean to say that energy is dissipated?

It is transferred to the surroundings and stored in less useful ways, so it is no longer available to do useful work.

Where is energy dissipated to when friction acts between the moving parts of a machine?

To the thermal store of the parts and then the surroundings, raising their temperature.

Why is a mechanical process wasteful when it causes a rise in temperature?

Energy is dissipated by heating the surroundings, so less of the input energy is transferred usefully.

What happens to the energy supplied to a filament lamp that is not usefully transferred?

It is dissipated by heating — stored in the thermal store of the lamp and the surroundings.

True or false? Energy that has been dissipated to the surroundings can still be usefully transferred.

False. It is spread out among the surroundings and stored in less useful ways.