conservation of energy

Origin

conservation of energy

noun Physics.
the principle that in a system that does not undergo any force from outside the system, the amount of energy is constant, irrespective of its changes in form.
Also called law of conservation of energy.


Origin:
1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Conservation of energy is always a great word to know.
So is half-life. Does it mean:
any of the energy levels of a physical system, such as an atom or molecule, that has higher energy than the lowest energy level
the time required for one half the atoms of a given amount of a radioactive substance to disintegrate
Collins
World English Dictionary
conservation of energy
 
n
the principle that the total energy of any isolated system is constant and independent of any changes occurring within the system

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

conservation of energy
apparently coined in Fr. by Leibnitz in 1692; attested in Eng. from early 18c. as conservatio virum vivarum or partially nativized versions of it. The exact phrase is attested from 1853.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
conservation of energy  
A principle stating that the total energy of a closed system remains constant over time, regardless of other possible changes within the system. It is related to the symmetry of time invariance. See also invariance, thermodynamics.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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