There are innumerable misconceptions about energy. Here is an example, with an explanation:
| Energy in physics is defined as a work of certain force (and is usually named after that force: gravitational energy, electric energy, etc).1 | “Energy” is a property of a system, or of a particular region. The energy of a region could be increased or decreased by work, by heat flow, or by advection – not just by work. The energy of a region cannot named for a particular force, because typically the energy has been increased many times by various forces and decreased by other forces (and heat flow, and advection). Zero-point energy is not “the work of a certain force”. Rest energy (aka mc2 is not “the work of certain force”. Work is not associated with energy per se, but with changes in energy: ΔE = W. |