How Energy Can Be Converted from One Form to Another - Essay Example

Energy is a kind of abstraction that does not vanish but rather changes its position and forms, for example, electrical energy, mechanical energy, gravitational energy, energy in the form of cohesive forces, and frictional energy. Some of the examples and conversion of energy from one form to another are depicted below which shows how energy can shift from one material to another or mechanism. The examples show the conformation of the principle of laws of Conservation of Energy which argues that energy can neither be converted nor destroyed. It only changes its form from one to another (Michaelides, 2012).

Conversion of Kinetic energy to potential energy
The moving objects possess kinetic energy of variant magnitude. When these moving objects stop or cease to move then the kinetic energy is converted into the potential energy of the object which is in turn inter-convertible into different form For example a bouncing ball has some magnitude of kinetic energy but when this ball stop moving then the kinetic energy is converted into the potential energy at one. Similarly when the ball hits the ground and moves upwards then again the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy and so on. The ball should keep on moving according to the law of conversion of energy but several forces stop its motion for example the frictional effects of the ground and the frictional force of the air.

Electrical energy to mechanical energy and sound energy
Electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy in many depictions around the world. For example, take the instance of the motor which is used to pump the water to some height. The turbine also works on the same principle. In both cases, the coil of the motor moves because of the electrical energy supplied by the switch and then the coil, in turn, produces a mechanism that pumps the water upwards. Similarly, the electrical energy is converted into sound energy in the case of musical instruments. A sound is also a form of energy which is surfaced when the beats of the instruments are disturbed by the musician. Similarly, the example of cars and trucks can be studied to understand this scenario. The batteries of the truck give electrical energy to the engine and the engine moves the tires which are providers of mechanical energy. When the truck is stooped then the rule of total conversation of energy is applied.

Fossil Fuels as Energy Resource
Fossil fuels are the kind of fuels that are formed after the complex decomposition processes of dead or buried organisms. These types of fuels surfaced after the anaerobic decomposition of any dead material. Fossil fuels are considered one of the primary sources of energy in the emerging world of today. Fossil fuels contain high percentages of carbon, fuel bi-products, coal material, and natural gas. These materials are the primary source of energy in the modern world. The importance of fossil fuels as energy sources can be acquired from the fact that in the total consumption of the world’s energy needs, fossil fuels contribute around 86.4% of the total energy needs. The energy needs of the overall population around the world can be easily satisfied using the domain of fossil fuels energy products if proper mechanisms are established to trace and exhaust the fossil fuels in different parts of the world (Parson & Keith, 1998).

Fossil fuels energy resources are counted in the non-renewable resources of energy because a single fossil fuels take hundreds of years to transform into an energy resource and this can be deduced from this that the depletion of the fossil fuel resources is much higher than their production. Fossil fuel resources are being used extensively around the world but production and conservation are not paid any heed. Fossil fuel energy resources also pose a threat to the environment.

Alternatives

Solar energy is one of the most important alternatives to fossil fuel energy resources emerging in the modern world. It is a much cleaner, readily available, and cost-effective energy source. The conservation of such resources is an issue that can be dealt with very easily by using solar panels and solar cells on a large scale. The advantage of solar energy resources is very much evident and that is the fact that they are readily available whereas fossil fuels are not present everywhere and they take ages to provide energy (GCEP, 2006).

Another important alternative to fossil fuel is water resources. Water resources can be used as an energy resource by storing them in dams and then using them as a source to move different mechanical machinery. Electrical energy can be produced using water resources. The advantage of water resources over fossil fuel is that they are very clean resources and if stored properly, can be very effective. The disadvantage of water resources over fossil fuel is that they are rare this day in many areas and difficult to preserve. The dams are very costly to construct and retain (Cunningham & Saigo, 2001). Read More