According to the laws of thermodynamics, what happens to energy in an isolated system?

In an isolated system, the laws of thermodynamics dictate that the total energy remains constant over time. This is rooted in the first law of thermodynamics, which asserts the principle of conservation of energy. It emphasizes that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

In an isolated system, no energy is exchanged with the surroundings, meaning that any transformations that occur within the system do not affect its overall energy content. For example, if a system undergoes a process where energy is transformed from potential to kinetic energy, or heat energy is converted to work, the total amount of energy in the system as a whole remains unchanged. Therefore, the energy stays constant in an isolated system, aligning perfectly with the principles of thermodynamics.