- #1
MBBphys
Gold Member
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Say I take a brick and push it and it moves, so work is done and chemical energy in my body is transferred into kinetic energy of the brick, which is then transformed to heat energy due to friction, so I have to keep pushing to transfer more of my chemical energy into kinetic energy of the brick. That I understand.
But say I am pushing a wall hard with my palm, and neither the brick nor I move; does this mean I am not losing any chemical energy and no energy is being transferred out of my body?
I.e. theoretically if I keep pushing the brick, I will lose the chemical energy store/lose mass, but then for the wall example, does the W=Fd formula mean I do not lose chemical energy/lose mass because the wall does not move?
But surely energy is expended when I push the wall?
I would much appreciate it if you could clarify this for me. Thanks in advance! :)
But say I am pushing a wall hard with my palm, and neither the brick nor I move; does this mean I am not losing any chemical energy and no energy is being transferred out of my body?
I.e. theoretically if I keep pushing the brick, I will lose the chemical energy store/lose mass, but then for the wall example, does the W=Fd formula mean I do not lose chemical energy/lose mass because the wall does not move?
But surely energy is expended when I push the wall?
I would much appreciate it if you could clarify this for me. Thanks in advance! :)
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