Final answer:
Energy is the ability to do work, and the potential to do work is proportional to the amount of energy an object or system possesses. The work-energy theorem outlines this relationship, and in practical terms, this manifests in the conversion of kinetic and potential energy into work. Option B is correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the relationship between energy and the potential to do work is essential in the field of physics. Energy, in its simplest definition, is the ability to do work. This definition is inherently reflective of the clarity that when you possess more energy, you inherently have the greater potential to perform work. Additionally, the work-energy theorem emphasizes how applying a force to an object elicits work on the object, thereby altering its energy, especially its kinetic energy. It is also crucial to comprehend that energy exists chiefly as kinetic energy and potential energy, both of which are subject to transformation into each other or into other forms of energy such as heat during various processes.
Thus, when elucidating the relationship between energy and the capacity to do work, one can affirm that the larger the energy, the higher the potential to conduct work. For instance, when work is performed on an object, such as lifting it against gravity, potential energy is stored within the object, which later can be converted back to kinetic energy when the object is allowed to fall.
In thermodynamics, not all forms of energy might be usable for work because of a concept known as entropy, which signals the portion of energy that cannot be utilized for work. Nevertheless, the profound interrelationship between energy, work, and forces describes the crux of interactions within a physical system and is foundational to numerous real-world applications, such as converting gravitational potential energy into mechanical work or electric potential energy into other useful forms of energy.