4 ms·
The use of the term "pure energy" always grates me; it gives the impression that energy is an entity unto itself, which is not the case. I realize that it's use
by akubera 9y ago
The use of the term "pure energy" always grates me; it gives the impression that energy is an entity unto itself, which is not the case. I realize that it's used as a proxy for photons most of the time, but I still always think it's misleading.
- cousin_it 9y agoOh, this is a pet peeve of mine. Jim Butcher does this constantly in the Dresden Files series. I keep coming up with lampoons like "the witch countered with a blast of pure angular momentum that sent him spinning" or "after a visit to the bank, my wallet was bursting with pure price".
- JabavuAdams 9y agoYes! I just volunteered as a parent helper to a scientist in the school program. I was gritting my teeth as the "scientist" explained that light was "pure energy". I think people use this to mean "insubstantial" and to contrast versus matter. But that still leaves the problem of light pressure. I.e. a flashlight is like a very very weak rocket engine.