In the book "The Principle of Conservation of Energy" (1887), which played a significant role in the development of ideas about this fundamental law of nature, Max Plank examined in detail the history of the emergence of the law, analyzed the contribution of scientists of the past (from Stevin to Helmholtz) in understanding the role of the concept of conservation of energy in science. Further, Planck considered... various types of energy and showed that in order to obtain from the law of conservation of energy equations of motion (for example, Newton's equations), it is necessary to use the so-called superposition principle, according to which the total energy of the system can be divided into the sum of independent components (for example, on the energy of motion along the corresponding coordinate axes).