iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Tanya Red/Tersi @jaql.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Crosspost from Tumblr, regarding the energy required to actually initiate performing a task being higher than the energy the task actually then requires you to expend. ( www.tumblr.com/dykeselfcest... )

Text: "it is unfortunate that there's no reason for most people to remember high school chemistry because the best analogy I have found for "the amount of energy it takes me to initiate a task, which can be higher than the amount of energy it takes to actually complete the task" is "activation energy" and it's not precisely perfect, but.. (Then a picture is included of a graph, the Y axis being potential energy, the X being progress of reaction. As the line begins, the initial state (reactants) starts low, climbs high to reach a point indicated as Activation Energy (transition state, activated complex), which is much higher than the energy further down the graph which depicts final state (products).

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Tanya Red/Tersi @jaql.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Post continues, regarding "thing that reduces the barrier to doing the task" as a catalyst/enzyme to the analogy, quite successfully.

Graph with the Y axis indicating energy, and the X indicating reaction coordinate. Graph shows a comparison that indicates that with the aid of an enzyme, a reaction takes much less activation energy than with it. Poster means to say that something motivating you to the task can overcome the energy, be it a reward, music, encouragement, whatever it might be.

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