Energetics

The scientific study of Energy, primarily how to transfer move energy and change energy states.

The main job of energetics is to produce useful energy for automating processes that would normally require human labor.

Sources

Energy comes in a lot of forms. The two main theoretical forms are potential energy (stored energy) and kinetic energy (moving energy).

Kinetic energy more formally is a form of energy that an object or a particle has by reason of its motion. Kinetic energy is a property of a moving object or particle and depends not only on its motion but also on its mass. The kind of motion may be translation (or motion along a path from one place to another), rotation about an axis, vibration, or any combination of motions.

Potential energy more formally is stored energy that depends upon the relative position of various parts of a system. A spring has more potential energy when it is compressed or stretched. A steel ball has more potential energy raised above the ground than it has after falling to Earth. In the raised position it is capable of doing more work. Potential energy is a property of a system and not of an individual body or particle; the system composed of Earth and the raised ball, for example, has more potential energy as the two are farther separated.

These two types of energy can be transformed into each other. A good example is if you raise an object up, you give it potential energy. The more you raise it, the more energy you give it. If you release it, it loses potential energy the closer it gets to the ground, but it gains kinetic energy as it picks up speed and slams into the earth.

Perhaps one of the most immediately useful sources is water. When you have flowing water, like a river or waterfall, you can use some of that kinetic energy to move other things.

The primary way to do this is by something called a water wheel. This can be constructed out of any material but usually it is made out of wood. A water wheel is a large wheel that has buckets attached so that the moving water source catches the buckets and turns the wheel. The resulting energy from the spinning wheel can be used to rotate a shaft which can transfer the moving energy anywhere you want. This rotating energy is usually used for massive turning operations. Some of these operations may include grinding grains into flour, turning a spit that has food on it so that the food gets cooked well all around, even turning large machines like textile machines.