Magic- Energy Consumed

[Seraphim]

I wrote in another thread about energy cost/gains in relation to thermodynamics

Pyrokinesis would have interesting applications in physical state manipulation. From a physical standpoint, we would be looking at the internal energy of material which is just the friction between molecules, or the concept of specific heat, or the energy required to raise an mass of material 1 degree Celcius. It would be up to you to decide what is feasible for a person to do.

For comparison, the energy required to raise a liter of water (1kg) 1 degree Celcius is 4.179 kj/kg*C, so if I wanted to fill my living room+kitchen(50m^3 of space) with steam to make an escape in a smokescreen fashion I would need to boil about 2 liters of water quickly before ventilation clears the room lets say 1 second.(specifics of problem come from steam room science, which says at room temp, water vapor can physically cap at about 5% of total atmospheric concentration). This would require 5180 kJ of energy in one second which is about equal to the amount of energy released in 2.5 sticks of dynamite.

Now this is to say that a person is putting 2.5 sticks of dynamite of energy into the two liters of water. Where does the energy come from? if it were to come from one's own aura, how much energy does an person's aura contain. Also, can energy be taken from the environment in a reverse process? To raise temperature we have to add energy, to lower we would have to absorb.

Here are other examples:

Water has a high heat capacity so its harder to manipulate. Iron requires .45 kJ/kg*C, about tenth of water for the same mass. So if I wanted to raise a 10lb weight iron (4.5 kg) to 100 degrees Celcius, or in this case, raise the temperature in someone's sword to the same temperature of boiling water. It would require 156 kJ or 3% of the energy required of the first example which is about 1/12 stick of dynamite or 4 firecrackers.

To melt a 45 lb iron weight (20 kg) suit of armor, would require 18600 kJ of energy or 9.25 sticks of Dynamite.

I mention in paragraph 3 that heating things up requires putting in energy into materials while cooling things down requires taking away energy. This could explain drawing energy from the surroundings to be used which would satisfy the Law of Conservation of Energy and the magic would be the ability to draw these energies and transfer them based on the will of the user. This is only one form of energy, thermo/friction/kinetic energy between particles. As mentioned before, biologically, organisms store energy in the form of chemical energy (fats, sugars, etc). There are other forms such as potential, kinetic (big moving objects), nuclear, etc.

 

[thedarknessrising]

My world was conceived by magic. Magic flows through the universe like air flows through our own world. Everyone has some connection magic, but there are those who have the actual ability to utilize magic. The usage of magic does not require any great amount of energy. There are really no limitations to magic. I know that sounds really broken and overpowered, but I promise you that it works fine!

 

[Miskatonic]

Magic doesn't play as big a factor in the first half of my story. It exists but in a much less potent and less powerful form. The second half is when the more powerful stuff starts to show up.

Magic in the human world is more of a tradition handed down between a small number of sorcerers, so for the most part it is kept as a secret and practitioners are held accountable if they use it recklessly, and punished severely.

 

[NerdyCavegirl]

I spent 3 days researching plasma physics and electromagnetism until 3am. Still fudged most of the math to make it fit. If there's no energy requirement, that's no fun because it's too easy, but burning millions of calories per second is just....no. At least not your own calories. Especially a baby. So I decided that they can tap into some vague cosmic ambient energy for magic, but it's still pretty taxing on the body. To manipulate flames of 1000 degrees takes about 200 cal/sec, a 13,000 plasma requires 3000 cal.

 

[Seraphim]

I spent 3 days researching plasma physics and electromagnetism until 3am. Still fudged most of the math to make it fit. If there's no energy requirement, that's no fun because it's too easy, but burning millions of calories per second is just....no. At least not your own calories. Especially a baby. So I decided that they can tap into some vague cosmic ambient energy for magic, but it's still pretty taxing on the body. To manipulate flames of 1000 degrees takes about 200 cal/sec, a 13,000 plasma requires 3000 cal.

Are those calories or kilocalories? Our food is actually measured in kilocalories, but we have shortened it to calories which can be quite confusing. A million calories is actually just a meal at McDonalds.

 

[NerdyCavegirl]

Are those calories or kilocalories? Our food is actually measured in kilocalories, but we have shortened it to calories which can be quite confusing. A million calories is actually just a meal at McDonalds.

Kilocalories. Still in the millions though, as I also factor in the energy needed to produce the electromagnetic field that binds and manipulates the flames. Thus I've decided that like someone else on here said that I can't remember at the moment (might check after this and edit to give credit but probably won't), the mages are more like a lens. Energy will probably drawn from the planet's EM field, which I imagine is pretty strong but should probably look into, and it takes a corresponding amount of their own energy to channel it. It doesn't all have to be 100% scientifically accurate, but as long as it sounds somewhat potentially plausible. xD I graduated high school in with a low D in 7th grade math, so I can only manage so much.