Final answer:
Energy enables work by providing the capacity to perform various actions, with over 90% of our energy coming from the sun. Energy conversion and efficiency are key concepts, with practical applications often resulting in less than 100% efficiency due to energy dissipation as waste heat.
Step-by-step explanation:
Energy makes work possible. This fundamental concept is rooted in the understanding of energy as the capacity to do work, whether it is about moving objects, heating your home, or executing biological processes within living organisms. Over 90% of the energy we use originates from the sun, which provides an immense amount of energy daily, far exceeding the world's total consumption. Through natural processes like photosynthesis, plants and certain bacteria capture this solar energy, which in turn can be translated into fuel, electricity, and food for our use.
In every energy transaction, from the consumption of food to the generation of electricity, we observe the conversion of various forms of energy. While some efficiency may exceed 100% in terms of moving thermal energy with less input, in most practical cases, not all of the energy is converted to the form we desire. Much of it is dissipated as waste heat, reflecting the fact that we never achieve 100% efficiency in our energy conversions.