Say we have a force which can be written as the gradient (a three-dimensional derivative. Potential energy is a little bit trickier. Mathematically, however, energy is very easy to define. The amount of potential energy you have "given" to the book is exactly equal to the amount of work In doing so, you have increased the potential energy of the book (by increasing its potential to fall down to the floor). For instance, you might do work on a book by picking it up off the floor and putting it on a shelf. Similarly to the way we defined energy, we mayĭefine work as "a measure of the amount of change brought about in a system, by the application of energy". discuss energy application situations at home, in Papua New Guinea and in the world in terms of natural resources list potential sources of energy. The decrease in potential energy is exactly equal to the increase in kinetic energy.Īnother important concept is work. perform calculations relating work done by an object and the changes involved in kinetic energy and potential energy. The sum of an object's potential and kinetic energies is called the object's mechanical energy.Īs an object falls its potential energy decreases, while its kinetic energy increases. For example, an object which is falling, but has not yet reached the ground has kinetic energy because it is moving downwards, and potential energy because it is able to move downwards even further than it already has. However, if the book is elevated to some height above the shelf, then it has potential energy proportional to the height at which it resides above the shelf.Īn object can have both kinetic and potential energy at the same time. A book resting on a shelf has no potential energy relative to the shelf since it has a height of zero meters relative to the shelf. To provide a specific example, a falling book has kinetic energy, because its position in space is changing Potential energy is the energy a system has as a result of being able to undergo some change. Kinetic energy is the energy of movement or change.
Roughly speaking, energy can be divided into two forms, kinetic and potential. It's difficult to define what energy actually is, but one useful definition might be "a measure of the amount of change taking place within a system, or the potential for change to take place within the system". One of the most fundamental concepts in physics is energy.
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