Internal Energy

[Susanna Givan 2B]

What do you need to know to solve for a change in internal energy? Why is the change in internal energy so important?

[Emily Tieu 2K]

I believe knowing internal energy can help understand the interactions and energy transfers in a system. One way to find the change in internal energy is through the equation delta U = q + w, so you'd have to know heat and work.

[105784203]

What do you need to know to solve for a change in internal energy? Why is the change in internal energy so important?

The first law of thermodynamics exemplifies conservation of energy in a closed system as being made up of the difference between the actual heat that an object has and the work being done on or by it. It is important to understand the relationship between the work being done on an object and the entropic or thermodynamic potential something has. Internal energy is simply the net of these two things.

[Arjun_Anumula_3E]

Knowing how much work was done on/by the system as well as how much heat was added or removed from the system help determine the change in internal energy, since Delta U = q+w. This is important because energy is constantly being transformed from one form to another, leaving certain systems and entering others.