Energy questionend my confusion please?

[kaweezah]

energy question... end my confusion please?

energy is the ability to do work..work is displacement and force..force is acceleration and mass...that leads me to the conclusion that energy requires mass...but how about sound energy..i am 99.9 % sure that sound doesn't have mass, then why is there such a thing as sound energy? and what about radiant energy... I am also quite sure that em waves don't have mass..

sorry if youre bothered by my foolishness..but if you have an answer that could end my confusion, please post it. i would definitely appreciate it. :D

 

[DaveC426913]

Energy comes in many forms. Mostly you're talking about mechnical energy, but the radiant energy is electromagnetic energy.

Sound is the transmission through a medium - mechanical energy. It is the atoms of the medium that do the moving. Sound cannot travel through anything (such as vacuum) that does not have mass.

 

[sir-pinski]

It's understandable to have confusion about energy and its relationship to mass. However, while energy does require mass to exist, not all forms of energy have mass. This is because energy and mass are two different properties of matter.

As you mentioned, work is the product of force and displacement. This means that in order for an object to do work, it needs to have both force and displacement. In this case, the mass of the object provides the force and the distance it moves provides the displacement. This is why we often associate energy with mass, because mass is a necessary component for an object to have energy.

However, sound energy and radiant energy are different forms of energy that do not require mass to exist. Sound energy is the result of vibrations in a medium, such as air or water. These vibrations carry energy and can produce work, but they do not have mass. Similarly, radiant energy, such as electromagnetic waves, does not have mass but can still carry energy and produce work.

In short, while mass is a necessary component for some forms of energy, it is not a requirement for all forms of energy. This is because energy and mass are separate properties of matter. I hope this helps to clear up your confusion.