Is Thought an Energy?

[M.D. Holloway]

Would you consider thought to be energy? I'm thinking its electromagnetic energy.

Energy is the capacity of a physical system to perform work and exists in several forms such as heat, kinetic or mechanical energy, light, potential energy, electrical, or other forms....


1. mechanical energy
Mechanical energy is energy that results from movement or the location of an object. Mechanical energy is the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy.
Examples: An object possessing mechanical energy has both kinetic and potential energy, although the energy of one of the forms may be equal to zero. A moving car has kinetic energy. If you move the car up a mountain, it has kinetic and potential energy. A book sitting on a table has potential energy.


2. thermal energy
Thermal energy or heat energy reflects the temperature difference between two systems.
Example: A cup of hot coffee has thermal energy. You generate heat and have thermal energy with respect to your environment.

3. nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is energy resulting from changes in the atomic nuclei or from nuclear reactions.
Example: Nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay are examples of nuclear energy. An atomic detonation or power from a nuclear plant are specific examples of this type of energy.

4. chemical energy
Chemical energy results from chemical reactions between atoms or molecules. There are different types of chemical energy, such as electrochemical energy and chemiluminescence.
Example: A good example of chemical energy is an electrochemical cell or battery.

5. electromagnetic energy
Electromagnetic energy is energy from light or electromagnetic waves.
Example: Any form of light has electromagnetic energy, including parts of the spectrum we can't see. Radio, gamma rays, x-rays, microwaves, and ultraviolet light are some examples of electromagnetic energy.

Depending on how you want to categorize the forms of energy, there are additional types.

6. sonic energy
Sonic energy is the energy of sound waves. Sound waves travel through air or another medium.

7. gravitational energy
Energy associated with gravity involves the attraction between two objects based on their mass. It can serve as a basis for mechanical energy, such as the potential energy of an object placed on a shelf or the kinetic energy of the Moon in orbit around the Earth.

In biology, energy is an attribute of all biological systems from the biosphere to the smallest living organism. Within an organism it is responsible for growth and development of a biological cell or an organelle of a biological organism. Energy is thus often said to be stored by cells in the structures of molecules of substances such as carbohydrates (including sugars), lipids, and proteins, which release energy when reacted with oxygen in respiration.

In human terms, the human equivalent (H-e) (Human energy conversion) indicates, for a given amount of energy expenditure, the relative quantity of energy needed for human metabolism, assuming an average human energy expenditure of 12,500kJ per day and a basal metabolic rate of 80 watts.

For example, if our bodies run (on average) at 80 watts, then a light bulb running at 100 watts is running at 1.25 human equivalents (100 ÷ 80) i.e. 1.25 H-e. For a difficult task of only a few seconds' duration, a person can put out thousands of watts, many times the 746 watts in one official horsepower. For tasks lasting a few minutes, a fit human can generate perhaps 1,000 watts. For an activity that must be sustained for an hour, output drops to around 300; for an activity kept up all day, 150 watts is about the maximum. The human equivalent assists understanding of energy flows in physical and biological systems by expressing energy units in human terms: it provides a “feel” for the use of a given amount of energy.

This may find its way over to PARF but its worth a discussion. I think a few know where I may be going with this...

[stomachmonkey]

I believe so.

[porwolf]

Thought and the thinking process is an energy consumer much like the software and programs in a computer when it is operating.

[livi]

If we Think hard enough we could possibly close down a few nuclear reactors.

[jyl]

Electrical activity in the brain is associated with thoughts, so I'd agree.

Here is a slightly related, ghoulish, and interesting article. It is about brain activity after clinical death. It is interesting to consider how similar experiments might be carried out on human beings. The opportunities would be limited, except in Texas.

Study Shows Electrical Activity in the Brain after Clinical Death | SciTech Daily

[afterburn 549]

4 to 5 watts spent

[Heel n Toe]

Tune in next week for "is flatulence an energy?"

As far as I know, it is.

And it checks all seven boxes, too.

Especially sonic energy.

[tabs]

My ohh My what a fking genius you are Mikey to think of this..The question is not if but how much HP are you able to produce? The thing is that people have emotional distractions that much like when you add AC to an automobile engine you rob the ability of the motor to produce HP.

The thing is not to rid oneself of emotion, for ifn you do that you become an Obama. In other words a basket case who can not tie his own shoes. But to integrate intellect and emotion so that you can focus your intellectual capacity without the drag of distraction. You might think of this as being able to Supercharge your cars motor. Maybe we can call this efficient utilization of capacity.

[Heel n Toe]

[beepbeep]

In my book, no. Theoretically, information has no mass and no energy. My computer will convert 200W of electrical power into heat (some of which will be EMI and photons, which will subsequently be converted into heat) while I'm displaying this thread.

My IPhone will do the same with 2W. 20 years ago, it would take kilowatts. So no, thought is not energy. Energy consumption of informational processes is by product of inefficient machines doing the process. (Whether it's neuron-, silicon- och quantum-qubit based does not matter).

[tabs]

Originally Posted by beepbeep

In my book, no. Theoretically, information has no mass and no energy. My computer will convert 200W of electrical power into heat (some of which will be EMI and photons, which will subsequently be converted into heat) while I'm displaying this thread.

My IPhone will do the same with 2W. 20 years ago, it would take kilowatts. So no, thought is not energy. Energy consumption of informational processes is by product of inefficient machines doing the process. (Whether it's neuron-, silicon- och quantum-qubit based does not matter).

How many calories a day do you eat?

[sammyg2]

Is Thought an Energy?

Not for some people.

[island911]

LOL

well, anyway, pretty certain that thought causes global warming.

[wdfifteen]

[ossiblue]

I'm going to argue that thought is not energy--it is the product of the expenditure of energy. When you move your limbs, the movement is not energy it is the result of the expenditure of energy--it is a physical manifestation of the transfer/conversion of energy from one form to another. So it is with thought. The thoughts are the products of the energy exchange within the neurons. It takes energy to produce a thought. The thought is a manifestation of the energy transfer.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by tabs

My ohh My what a fking genius you are Mikey to think of this..The question is not if but how much HP are you able to produce? The thing is that people have emotional distractions that much like when you add AC to an automobile engine you rob the ability of the motor to produce HP.

The thing is not to rid oneself of emotion, for ifn you do that you become an Obama. In other words a basket case who can not tie his own shoes. But to integrate intellect and emotion so that you can focus your intellectual capacity without the drag of distraction. You might think of this as being able to Supercharge your cars motor. Maybe we can call this efficient utilization of capacity.

Sarcasm is the hobgoblin of a small mind...and to comment on your point - yes. I understand and appreciate your input and agree with your position (including calling me a genius if that was an observation and not a sarcastic comment).

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by Heel n Toe

Tune in next week for "is flatulence an energy?"

As far as I know, it is.

And it checks all seven boxes, too.

Especially sonic energy.

Absolutely! Cow farts = 15%+ of the methane found in the atmosphere.

[john70t]

100-200 lbs of organized cells. Chemically primed by an endocrine system for maximum transformation of stimulus into physical action. Dedicated to an organized hierarchy of imput-output by a proprietary organization of proprietary centralized cells in which originates such kinetic energy process sequence.

Ask an electric eel about thought thought energy....
Or a guru.

Wait, wut was the question?

[DanielDudley]

Sure it takes some energy to create a thought, but a thought is nothing without communication or action behind it. Thought is the director of energy, and not energy in itself.