Engine Engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy. Heat engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to do work. Internal combustion engines are heat engines that burn fuel in a combustion chamber to extract work from the pressure of expanding gases. Electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion; pneumatic motors use compressed air; and clockwork motors in wind-up toys use elastic energy. In biological systems, molecular motors, like myosins in muscles, use chemical energy to create forces and eventually motion. The word "engine" derives from
Mechanical energy mechanical energy of the colliding objects has been converted into an equal amount of heat. Thus, the total energy of the system remains unchanged though the mechanical energy of the system has reduced. A satellite of mass formula_4 at a distance formula_5 from the centre of Earth possesses both kinetic energy, formula_6, (by virtue of its motion) and gravitational potential energy, formula_7, (by virtue of its position within the Earth’s gravitational field; Earth's mass is formula_8). Hence, mechanical energy formula_9 of a satellite is given by If the satellite is in circular orbit, the energy conservation equation can be further