7 (a.a.) Conservation of Mass and Energy
Have you ever wondered what happens to wood as it burns? It seems as if the wood may disappear into thin air. While burning wood appears to create energy and destroy the wood, neither is created or destroyed. Rather, energy and matter are changing from one form to another. You see, wood contains what we call chemical potential energy, which is energy stored in the bonds that hold the chemicals together. This stored energy is released in the form of heat and light when the wood is burned.
Wood also contains matter, which is anything that has mass and takes up space (volume). The matter within the wood is transformed into different matter, including ash and soot, as it burns. The total amount of energy and matter in the wood before burning is equal to the energy and matter of the ash, soot, heat, and light after burning. In other words, energy and matter are conserved both during and after the wood is burned.
This phenomenon of conservation is referred to as the law of energy conservation. The law states energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can be described as the ability to do work, where work is the movement of matter when a force is applied to it. With the example of burning wood, the energy we see in the form of fire is not created out of nothing but rather comes from the energy that is stored in the wood. Likewise, the wood is not destroyed but rather is converted into ash and soot.
Wood also contains matter, which is anything that has mass and takes up space (volume). The matter within the wood is transformed into different matter, including ash and soot, as it burns. The total amount of energy and matter in the wood before burning is equal to the energy and matter of the ash, soot, heat, and light after burning. In other words, energy and matter are conserved both during and after the wood is burned.
This phenomenon of conservation is referred to as the law of energy conservation. The law states energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy can be described as the ability to do work, where work is the movement of matter when a force is applied to it. With the example of burning wood, the energy we see in the form of fire is not created out of nothing but rather comes from the energy that is stored in the wood. Likewise, the wood is not destroyed but rather is converted into ash and soot.
