KINETIC ENERGY
KE = 0.5 m v2
1 Joule = 1 kg m2/s2
KE = 80 000 J
The KE is directly related to the square of the speed. If the
speed is reduced by a factor of 2 (as in from 60 mi/hr to 30
mi/hr) then the KE will be reduced by a factor of 4. Thus,
the new KE is (320 000 J)/4 or 80 000 J.
Radiant Energy
Radiant energy is electromagnetic energy. Here are some
examples:
Visible light
X-rays
Gamma rays
Black lights
Radio waves
Headlights on an automobile
Certain materials absorb radiant energy and reemit the radiant energy and this is called
fluorescence
Thermal Energy
Thermal energy is made when the motion of atoms and
molecules move quicker and collide with each other. Here
are some examples:
Electrical Energy
Lightning
Static electricity
Batteries in use
Doorbells
Audio speakers
Headphones
Hot springs
Geysers are driven by geothermal energy
Sound Energy
Sound is the movement of energy through some substance,
such as air or water, and is caused by vibrations. Here are
some examples of sound energy:
Anyones voice
A buzzing bee
Clapping
A whistling teapot
Mechanical Energy
Croaking frogs
A tuning fork
Singing
A sonic boom
Wind
A flowing river
An airplane in flight
Spinning flywheels
Someone jump-roping
Someone running
A fish swimming
Someone skydiving
POTENTIAL ENERGY
An object can store energy as the result of its position. For
example, the heavy ball of a demolition machine is storing
energy when it is held at an elevated position. This stored
energy of position is referred to as potential
Answer:
A: PE = 40 J (since the same mass is elevated to 4/5-ths
height of the top stair)
B: PE = 30 J (since the same mass is elevated to 3/5-ths
height of the top stair)
C: PE = 20 J (since the same mass is elevated to 2/5-ths
height of the top stair)
Fspring = k x
Such springs are said to follow Hooke's Law. If a spring is
not stretched or compressed, then there is no elastic
potential energy stored in it. The spring is said to be at
its equilibrium position. The equilibrium position is the
position that the spring naturally assumes when there is no
force applied to it. In terms of potential energy, the
equilibrium position could be called the zero-potential
energy position. There is a special equation for springs that
relates the amount of elastic potential energy to the
amount of stretch (or compression) and the spring
constant. The equation is
PEspring = 0.5 k x2
where k = spring constant
x = amount of compression
(relative to equilibrium position)
To summarize, potential energy is the energy that is stored
in an object due to its position relative to some zero
position. An object possesses gravitational potential energy
if it is positioned at a height above (or below) the zero
height. An object possesses elastic potential energy if it is
at a position on an elastic medium other than the
equilibrium position.
1. A cart is loaded with a brick and pulled at constant
speed along an inclined plane to the height of a seat-top. If
the mass of the loaded cart is 3.0 kg and the height of the
seat top is 0.45 meters, then what is the potential energy
of the loaded cart at the height of the seat-top?
ANSWER:
PE = m*g*h
PE = (3 kg ) * (9.8 m/s/s) * (0.45 m)
PE = 13.2 J
2. If a force of 14.7 N is used to drag the loaded cart (from
previous question) along the incline for a distance of 0.90
meters,
then
how
much work is done on
the loaded cart?
ANSWER:
W = F * d * cos Theta
W = 14.7 N * 0.9 m *
cos (0 degrees)
W = 13.2 J
GRAVITATIONAL
Systems can increase gravitational energy as mass moves
away from the center of Earth or other objects that are
large enough to generate significant gravity (our sun, the
planets and stars).
For example, the farther you lift an anvil away from the
ground, the more potential energy it has. Lifting the anvil is
called work, which is an interaction in which energy is
transferred from one system (the person) to another (the
anvil). The person has to do more work in order to carry the
anvil higher, and the higher the anvil is carried, the more
gravitational potential energy is stored in the anvil. If the
anvil is dropped, that potential energy transforms to kinetic
energy as the anvil moves faster and faster toward Earth.
CHEMICAL
Chemical energy is stored in the bonds between the atoms
in compounds. This stored energy is transformed when
bonds are broken or formed through chemical reactions.
Like letters of the alphabet that can be rearranged to form
new words with very different meanings, atoms move
around during chemical reactions, and they form new
compounds with vastly different personalities.
When we burn sugar (a compound made of the elements
hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon) in our bodies, the elements
are reorganized into water and carbon dioxide. These
reactions both absorb and release energy, but the overall
result is that we get energy from the sugar, and our bodies
use that energy to do work.
Chemical reactions that produce net energy are
exothermic. When wood is burned, the chemical reactions
taking place are exothermic. Electromagnetic and thermal
energy are released. Only some chemical reactions release
energy. Endothermic reactions need energy to start and to
continue, such as by adding heat or light.
NUCLEAR
Todays nuclear power plants are fueled by fission. Uranium
or plutonium atoms are broken apart, freeing lots of energy.
Hydrogen atoms in the sun experience nuclear fusion,
combining to form helium and subsequently releasing large
amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation
and thermal energy.
Nuclear energy is the stored potential of the nucleus of an
atom. Most atoms are stable on Earth; they keep their
identities as particular elements, like hydrogen, helium,
iron, and carbon, as identified in the Periodic Table of
Elements. The number of protons in the nucleus tells you
which element it is. Nuclear reactions change the
fundamental identity of elements by splitting up an atoms
nucleus or fusing together more than one nucleus. These
changes are called fission and fusion, respectively.
ELASTIC
WORK
When a force acts upon an object to cause a displacement
of the object, it is said that work was done upon the object.
There are three key ingredients to work - force,
displacement, and cause. In order for a force to qualify as
having done work on an object, there must be a
displacement and the force must cause the displacement.
There are several good examples of work that can be
observed in everyday life - a horse pulling a plow through
the field, a father pushing a grocery cart down the aisle of
a grocery store, a freshman lifting a backpack full of books
upon her shoulder, a weightlifter lifting a barbell above his
head, an Olympian launching the shot-put, etc. In each
case described here there is a force exerted upon an object
to cause that object to be displaced.
Work Equation
The Meaning
Work
of
Negative
Units of Work
Whenever a new quantity is introduced in physics, the
standard metric units associated with that quantity are
discussed. In the case of work (and also energy), the
standard metric unit is the Joule (abbreviated J). One Joule
is equivalent to one Newton of force causing a
displacement of one meter. In other words,
footpound
kg(m/s2)m
kg(m2/s2)