The same old work and energy confusion

[MrOmnos]

Hi folks!

I am studying for my Thermodynamics test and I stumbled upon this thought. If I lift up an iron ball up to some height then potential energy in the ball will be mgh which is also the work i did in lifting up the ball.  Now if I heat it up I'll be adding energy to the ball and the ball will have more energy. As far as I know heat is not energy but analogous to work. Applying heat means doing work on the system. In both cases of lifting up the ball and heating the ball, it seems like work and energy are the same thing. But we all know it's not. Do not confuse work with energy is the first thing they tell you in a physics class and then proceed to write the equation of potential energy which is exactly the same for the work. Which is quite confusing.

 So, what makes 'Work" a thing?

To be more specific about what I am asking here:
We need fractions because we need answer to the question 2x=3. We need the concept of complex number because we know we can't solve all polynomials with just real numbers. And we know complex numbers aren't just something that exists on paper, they have actual physical meaning.

So, Why do we need 'work' as a concept if at the end of the day we are just going to call it energy. It just sounds redundant. Forgive me if I am wrong. I am just trying to learn.

[edy]

Some explanations are found here :

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_(physics)

work is the energy associated with the action of a force, so work subsequently possesses the physical dimensions, and units, of energy.

This section focuses on the work–energy principle as it applies to particle dynamics. In more general systems work can change the potential energy of a mechanical device, the heat energy in a thermal system, or the electrical energy in an electrical device. Work transfers energy from one place to another or one form to another.

[R005T3r]

Hi folks!

I am studying for my Thermodynamics test and I stumbled upon this thought. If I lift up an iron ball up to some height then potential energy in the ball will be mgh which is also the work i did in lifting up the ball.  Now if I heat it up I'll be adding energy to the ball and the ball will have more energy. As far as I know heat is not energy but analogous to work. Applying heat means doing work on the system. In both cases of lifting up the ball and heating the ball, it seems like work and energy are the same thing. But we all know it's not. Do not confuse work with energy is the first thing they tell you in a physics class and then proceed to write the equation of potential energy which is exactly the same for the work. Which is quite confusing.

 So, what makes 'Work" a thing?

To be more specific about what I am asking here:
We need fractions because we need answer to the question 2x=3. We need the concept of complex number because we know we can't solve all polynomials with just real numbers. And we know complex numbers aren't just something that exists on paper, they have actual physical meaning.

So, Why do we need 'work' as a concept if at the end of the day we are just going to call it energy. It just sounds redundant. Forgive me if I am wrong. I am just trying to learn.

To answer your first question, heat is not an intrinsic propriety of matter. An object does not have a certain "heat" level, but you can measure it's temperature...Think about Heat as a "protocol" for transferring energy from a hotter to a cooler object.

Complex numbers are a way to represent numbers when you merge the concept of real number with points on a plain. And, I know there are some integrals, that have functions and variables in real numbers, and they give a complex result, but the area beneath the graph, is visible!

We need "work" as a concept at the end of the day, because, work is a simple tool to work in certain situations. Can you use power or energy to solve problems? Yes, if you want, but it will be more complex.