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2: Matter and Energy

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    172869
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    Energy is the ability to do work. You can understand what this means by thinking about yourself when you feel “energetic.” You feel ready to go—to jump up and get something done. When you have a lot of energy, you can perform a lot of work. By contrast, if you do not feel energetic, you have very little desire to do much of anything. This description is not only applicable to you but also to all physical and chemical processes. The quantity of work that can be done is related to the quantity of energy available to do it.

    • 2.1: The Classification of Matter
      Matter can be described with both physical properties and chemical properties. Matter can be identified as an element, a compound, or a mixture.
    • 2.2: Solids and Liquids
      Solids and liquids are phases that have their own unique properties.
    • 2.3: Prelude to Energy and Chemical Processes
      Metabolism is the collective term for the chemical reactions that occur in cells and provide energy to keep cells alive. Some of the energy from metabolism is in the form of heat, and some animals use this heat to regulate their body temperatures. Such warm-blooded animals are called endotherms. In endotherms, problems with metabolism can lead to fluctuations in body temperature. When humans get sick, for instance, our body temperatures can rise higher than normal; we develop a fever.
    • 2.4: Energy and Its Units
      Energy is the ability to do work. Heat is the transfer of energy due to temperature differences. Energy and heat are expressed in units of joules.
    • 2.5: Heat
      Heat transfer is related to temperature change. Heat is equal to the product of the mass, the change in temperature, and a proportionality constant called the specific heat.
    • 2.6: Phase Changes
      There is an energy change associated with any phase change. There is an energy change associated with any phase change.
    • 2.7: Energy and Chemical Processes (Exercises)
      Problems and Solutions to accompany the chapter.
    • 2.8: Energy and Chemical Processes (Summary)
      To ensure that you understand the material in this chapter, you should review the meanings of the following bold terms in the following summary and ask yourself how they relate to the topics in the chapter.


    2: Matter and Energy is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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