Two circular brass plates, A and B, are mounted on insulating supports, and arranged to be moved towards or away from each other as desired. Between them is a plate of glass, C, or other dielectric. Pith balls may be suspended back of each brass plate as shown. The apparatus is charged by connecting one [...]

Clerk Maxwell thought it possible to recognize in the Peltier effect, q. v., a change in entropy, a gain or loss according to whether the thermo-electric junction was heated or cooled. This is termed Electric Entropy. (See Energy, Degradation of.)

Non-available energy. As energy may in some way or other be generally reduced to heat, it will be found that the equalizing of temperature, actual and potential, in a system, while it leaves the total energy unchanged, makes it all unavailable, because all work represents a fall in degree of energy or a fall in [...]

A form of kinetic molecular energy due to the molecular motion of bodies caused by heat.

The capacity for doing work in a system due to advantage of position or other cause, such as the stress of a spring. A pound weight supported ten feet above a plane has ten foot lbs. of potential energy of position referred to that plane. A given weight of an elementary substance represents potential chemical [...]

The potential energy stored up in physical position or set free in physical change. Thus a vapor or gas absorbs energy in its vaporization, which is potential energy, and appears as heat energy when the vapor liquefies.

Potential energy due to position, as the potential energy of a pound weight raised ten feet (ten foot lbs.). (See Energy, Potential.)

Potential energy due to stress, as the stretching of a spring. This is hardly a form of potential energy. A stressed spring is merely in a position to do work at the expense of its own thermal or kinetic energy because it is cooled in doing work. If it possessed true potential energy of stress [...]

An electrified body implies the other two elements of a condenser. It is the seat of energy set free when discharged. (See Dielectric, Energy of.) The two oppositely charged bodies tend to approach. This tendency, together with the distances separating them, represents a potential energy.

The potential energy due to the relations of molecules and set free by their change in the way of combination. It is potential for the same reason that applies to atomic and chemical energy, of which latter it is often a form, although it is often physical energy. The potential energy stored up in vaporization [...]