In physics, what term refers to the capacity of a physical system to do work?

The term that refers to the capacity of a physical system to do work is energy. In physics, energy is defined as the ability to perform work, which encompasses a variety of forms, including kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy, and many others. When a system has energy, it can transfer that energy to another system or perform a task, such as moving an object against a force or creating heat.

Power, on the other hand, measures the rate at which work is done or energy is transferred over time, but it is not a measure of capacity itself. Work is defined as the process of energy transfer that occurs when an object is moved over a distance by an external force, but it does not denote the system's capacity to do so. Force is an interaction that causes an object to accelerate, but it does not encompass the broader concept of a system's ability to do work, which is fundamentally described by energy. Thus, energy succinctly captures this capacity and its importance in various physical processes.