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Energy is converted so that it may be used by other machines or to provide an energy service to society. An Internal Combustion Engine converts the chemical energy in the gasoline to the propulsive energy that moves a car. A Solar Cell converts the solar radiation into the electrical energy that can then be used to light a bulb or power a computer. The Steam Engine illustrates the energy conversion process. In a steam engine, burning coals heat water (the fluid), which expands and moves a piston. The water is then cooled and once again brought near the hot coals in a cycle that keeps the steam engine moving. The steam engine uses the temperature difference between the hot and cold water to move the piston. This conversion is never perfect, and some of the energy of the burning coals is lost as heat. The operation of the steam engine is described from an energy perspective by the machine cycles of Thermodynamics , from the fluid flows by Fluid Mechanics , and from the heat flow by the science of Heat Transfer . ENERGY CONVERSION MACHINES There are many different machines that convert one energy form into another:
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