Sometimes thermal energy and sound energy can be harnessed to do useful work. However, these types of energy dissipate rapidly.

Thermal energy produced by friction cannot usually be used to do work.
A) True
B) False

my question is; it says they can be used to do work, but it also says they dissipate rapidly. And the question says "cannot USUALLY". They can, just not all the time. So would that be true? Or false?

I'd say true because of the words "cannot usually."

okay thank you!

YW! =)

Based on the given information, the statement "Thermal energy produced by friction cannot usually be used to do work" is generally false. Allow me to explain the reasoning behind this.

Thermal energy and sound energy can indeed be harnessed to perform useful work. However, it is true that both of these types of energy tend to dissipate rapidly. Despite this, there are ways to capture and utilize their energy before it completely dissipates.

For example, in certain scenarios, we can convert thermal energy into other useful forms, such as mechanical or electrical energy. A common application is the production of electricity using thermal power plants. In these plants, thermal energy is used to heat water and produce steam, which then drives turbines to generate electricity.

Similarly, sound energy can also be harnessed to perform work in specialized situations. One example is the use of sound energy in ultrasonic cleaning devices, where high-frequency sound waves are employed to clean delicate objects.

While it is true that thermal and sound energy dissipate rapidly, it is possible to harness them effectively in certain contexts before they dissipate completely. Hence, the statement "thermal energy produced by friction cannot usually be used to do work" is false.