15+ Absorption Of Energy Examples: Uses And Detailed Facts

by

The term ‘absorption of energy’ itself denotes the tendency of the object to absorb energy of some kind.

It is the capacity of the object to absorb the energy emerging towards it and utilize it to do the work in some other form of energy. Let us discuss some absorption of energy examples here below in this topic as listed in the following:-

Fusion

Fusion is a process in which two neutrons fuse together to form a neutron of higher atomic mass. The energy of both bombarding neutrons is absorbed by each neutron to form a single neutron mass and part of the energy is released giving away the positrons and electrons.

Chemical Energy from Food

The chemical energy from the food that we eat is absorbed by our body and stored in the form of glucose and other chemical components.

This potential energy gained from the chemical energy is utilized by us while doing some work.

Black-body

The black body is known for its emissivity factor equal to 1 which is highest than any other object. It completely absorbs all radiations incident on its surface thus increasing the internal energy of the object.

This is the reason why people living in cold weather conditions wear black-colored dresses to absorb the heat radiations from the surroundings to keep the body warm.

Solar Panels

The solar panel work on the idea that the black body absorbs most of the radiation and doesn’t reflect the incident rays of light. The upper surface of the panel is painted with black such that the sunrays incident on the panel is absorbed by the solar panel and the energy acquired is passed to the semiconducting material. The free-electron then absorbs this energy and starts conducting to produce electricity.

Mobile Screen

The screen of the smartphone mobile is made up of a number of liquid crystal displays to give vibrant color to the screen and is protected by the aluminosilicate glass which is also called a gorilla glass.

smartphone g528d53a58 640
Smartphone screen; Image Credit: Pixabay

This glass is majorly composed of silicon and aluminum. You must have noticed that the overuse of the mobile does heat up the screen and it is seen more frequently when you take out your phone in the hot sun. This is because your mobile screen absorbs the radiation from the sun and the radio waves and this radiant energy is converted into heat energy thus heating your mobile screen.

Cooking Food

The heat is supplied to cook the food. The proteins present in the food items coagulate when the heat is passed, breaking apart and losing moisture. The heat energy is absorbed and spread to allow the food to cook. The food is cooked due to the absorption of heat energy supplied to the food.

Boiling Water

The water is boiled due to the absorption of heat energy by the molecules of the water. As the molecules absorb the heat energy, they start vibrating, generating the friction due to which the heat is supplied to the surrounding molecules as well.

pan gda786dcc4 640
Boiling water; Image Credit: Pixabay

At the boiling point as the volume of water has enough energy, the bonds between the molecules breaks, and the molecules escape in the form of vapors.

Smog

Smog is a combination of fog and smoke. The fog is formed due to the condensation of the evaporated vapors of the water during the winter seasons. The evaporation of water vapors is due to the irradiation of the heat energy received by the water bodies during the daylight which is given out as the temperature falls down.

power station g715282691 640
Smog due to emission of gases from power station; Image Credit: pixabay

If the smoke is released into the air in foggy weather, then these smoke particles will be absorbed by the water vapors and the smog is formed.

Photosynthesis

In the process of photosynthesis, the sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air is absorbed by the plants and trees to produce food and oxygen. The carbon is stored by the trees and gives away the oxygen into the atmosphere thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide content in the air. This carbon is cycled back to the air quantity on decomposition, fossilization, and burning the plant matter.

Blue Ink on Chalk

The chalk is made up of calcium carbonate and has many porous voids hence it can easily absorb the liquid substances in it.

chalks g9e5ee24fa 640
Chalks; Image Credit: Pixabay

The blue ink is completely absorbed by the chalk. As the liquid is filled in these vacant voids the oxygen gas already present in these voids is removed as the density of the liquid is more than that of a gas.

Solar Heaters

The solar heater absorbs the sunlight and converts it into the heat energy which is used to boil the water and also to provide heat in the winters to keep the rooms warm. The working of the solar heater is the same as the solar panels as we have discussed before.

Campfire

The wood is made up of a chemical matter comprising the carbon element as they utilize carbon dioxide from the air to prepare their food.

bonfire g0093a86aa 640
Campfire; Image Credit: Pixabay

This chemical energy of the wood when burnt gives out heat energy along with the radiation energy. The campfire helps to keep the body warm in during the camp in the winter season. The heat energy is radiated in the surrounding nearby area till the heat energy is given away by the molecules.

Irradiation

Irradiation is the process of giving away the acquired heat energy by the object to attain the equilibrium state. As the light is incident on the object during the daylight the object absorbs the radiations. As consequence, the internal heat energy of the system increases, and the molecules of the system become agile and add the heat energy to the system caused due to friction of the molecules due to back and forth motions.

This energy is given away in the form of radiation of low-frequency waves giving away the heat in the surroundings and coming at an equilibrium temperature of the system.

Light Dependent Resistor

The light-dependent resistor is also called the photo-resistor which is very sensitive to the light. The resistance of the LDR increases when there is low intensity of the light and decreases with the increasing intensity of the light falling on the LDR.

resistor ga3fbbe3fe 640 edited
LRD; Image Credit: Pixabay

These are used for street lights and also on the road lane as road indicators during the night. We can control the working of the LDR based on this fact when to turn the LDR ON and OFF.

Spectrum from Potassium Permanganate Solution

If you made visible spectra of light incident on the container filled with the solution of potassium permanganate, you will notice that only the purple color light emerges out from the solution.

The component of light of wavelength 515nm is absorbed by the particles in the solution and the spectra emerging after refraction are the components of light in the red and blue region thus the mixture of these two colors gives a purple appearance.

Frequently Asked Questions

On what factors the absorption of energy depends?

The absorption of energy is the amount of energy acquired by the system and stored with it.

The absorption of energy depends upon various factors like the capacity of the object to acquire the energy, its internal temperature, the molecular structure, the number of free electrons available, the configuration of the object, etc.

Is a capacitor an example of absorption energy?

The capacitors consist of two parallel conducting plates separated by a small gap.

The capacitor stores a small amount of charge even after disconnecting it from the circuit. It absorbs the electrical energy as per its capacity and stores it temporarily.

Click to read more on 20+ Stored Energy Examples.

Also Read: