In
physics,
energy is a
property of
objects which can be
transferred to other objects or
converted into different
forms, but
cannot be created or destroyed. The "ability of a system to perform work" is a common description, but it is difficult to give one single comprehensive definition of energy because of its many forms. For instance, in
SI units, energy is measured in
joules, and one joule is defined "mechanically", being the energy transferred to an object by the
mechanical work of moving it a distance of 1
metre against a
force of 1
newton. However, there are many other definitions of energy, depending on the context, such as thermal energy, radiant energy, electromagnetic, nuclear, etc., where definitions are derived that are the most convenient.