law of conservation of energy
1
4.9
- noun
- /lɔː ʌv ˌkɒnsərˈveɪʃən ʌv ˈɛnərdʒi/
- Specialized
:
ley de conservación de la energía
- I don't believe I've violated the law of conservation of energy here, nor do I think this thought experiment follows through to the real world.
Examples
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That's against the law of conservation of energy.
Blog text (18) -
OK, so the final bottom line for law of conservation of energy that you guys should remember is the following.
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Supernatural (or magic or whatever) does not need to be bound by the law of conservation of energy or any other natural law.
Blog text (27) -
It is the law of conservation of energy in a fairly thin and transparent disguise.
Blog text (18) -
Projects focus on forms of energy, the law of conservation of energy, and the role that technological tools play in the transformation of energy from a nonuseful form to a useful form.
Academic text (2007) -
The law of conservation of energy implies that noxious waste cannot be simply disposed of by dilution and/or dispersion.
Academic text (1992) -
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
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According to the law of conservation of energy, the total energy in a closed system remains constant despite any changes within.
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Teaching students about the law of conservation of energy helps them understand how energy flows through different systems.
Synonyms
3
4.1
A basic physics rule that total energy in a closed system cannot be created or destroyed
1
4.5
Total energy in a place where nothing enters or leaves stays the same while it changes form
Surface Forms
Morphology
law + of + conservation + of + energy
The phrase is compositional: 'law' (a general rule) + 'conservation' (preservation) + 'energy' (usable power) clearly yields the idea of a rule that energy is preserved. The 'law of X' construction is a regular, cross-linguistic scientific pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Law of conservation of energy gives a clear image: think of energy as coins in a closed box, which you can move or change but you cannot add or remove. So the rule means 'the total energy in a closed system stays the same'.