No mattter what display or form the Energy has:what gives it the ability to do work?

Question

The Energy dilemma

Answer 1

Work is the mechanical transfer of energy. In order to get work out of an energy source, we must cause it to exert a force.

For example, we use the chemical energy in gasoline by burning it in an enclosed space (a cylinder in an internal combustion engine). Burning converts the chemical potential energy into heat (thermal energy). The heat raises the pressure inside the cylinder, and we use this pressure to move the piston. The work done is the pressure (not constant) times the area of the piston times the stroke. This only captures about a third of the energy expended as work; the rest of the energy goes off as heat.

Converting thermal energy to mechanical energy is inherently inefficient. Other forms of energy conversion are much more efficient. Water power, for example is over 90% efficient.

Answer 2

Um, I'm no physicist, but isn't energy, by definition, the ability to do work?

If your question is 'what causes energy', I'm not sure science has that explained yet... (string theory, maybe? -Don't know much about that one)...

Answer 3

a gradient. You need to move from high amount of energy to low amounts of energy.