Work and Energy - Detailed Help

Assignment WE3: Kinetic and Potential Energy

Objectives:
  • The student should be able to define kinetic energy, identify the standard unit of kinetic energy and identify the variables which effect (and do not effect) the kinetic energy of an object.
  • The student should be able to define potential energy, identify the standard unit of potential energy and identify the variables which effect (and do not effect) the potential energy of an object.

 

Reading:

The Physics Classroom - Work, Energy and Power Unit, Lesson 1, Part b

The Physics Classroom - Work, Energy and Power Unit, Lesson 1, Part c

 

 

Kinetic energy is the energy which an object possesses due to its ____ and potential energy is the energy which an object possesses due to its ____.


Definition of Kinetic Energy:

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. If an object is moving, then it has kinetic energy. If an object has kinetic energy, then it is moving.


Definition of Potential Energy:

Potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position. The most common type of potential energy - gravitational potential energy - is the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position relative to the ground or some zero level.

What is potential energy?

What is kinetic energy?

 

 

An object will have kinetic energy if it is _____. List all that apply in alphabetical order with no commas or spaces between letters.


Definition of Kinetic Energy:

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. If an object is moving, then it has kinetic energy. If an object has kinetic energy, then it is moving.


Many students confuse kinetic energy with potential energy. Such students gain the incorrect notion that if an object has potential energy, then it does not have kinetic energy (or vice versa). But don't be fooled! Such an idea is not correct. Objects can have both kinetic energy and potential energy at the same time. An object can be elevated above the ground (have potential energy) and be moving at the same time (and also have kinetic energy). A baseball, a plane, a flying bird are all simple examples of this.


What is kinetic energy?

 

 

TRUE or FALSE:

If an object has potential energy, then its kinetic energy is 0 J.

(Note: Your true-false statement is randomly chosen and may differ from the above statement.)


Definition of Kinetic Energy:

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. If an object is moving, then it has kinetic energy. If an object has kinetic energy, then it is moving.


Many students confuse kinetic energy with potential energy. Such students gain the incorrect notion that if an object has potential energy, then it does not have kinetic energy (or vice versa). But don't be fooled! Such an idea is not correct. Objects can have both kinetic energy and potential energy at the same time. An object can be elevated above the ground (have potential energy) and be moving at the same time (and also have kinetic energy). A baseball, a plane, a flying bird are all simple examples of this.


What is kinetic energy?

How can one know if an object has kinetic energy?

 

 

Which of the following variations will increase the kinetic energy of an object?


The kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. The amount of kinetic energy (KE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its velocity (v). The formula for calculating the kinetic energy is

KE = 0.5 • m • v2


The formula for kinetic energy is stated in the Formula Fix section above. As expressed by the equation, kinetic energy depends upon the mass and the velocity. Any increase in these two quantities will lead to an increase in the amount of kinetic energy possessed by the object.


Many students become confused by height, speed, and kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is simply the energy of motion. The faster that an object moves, the greater its kinetic energy. Often times (but certainly not always) a decrease in height will correspond to an increase in speed and a subsequent increase in kinetic energy. But don't be fooled! This is not always the case. It is possible for an object to decrease its height at a constant speed - for instance, when climbing down a flight of stairs or descending on an elevator.


What variables would effect the kinetic energy possessed by an object?

 

 

An object has a kinetic energy of 32 J. If the object's speed is doubled, then its new kinetic energy will be ____ J.

(Note: the doubled seen in this question is randomly generated; the actual factor by which speed is changed may differ for your question.)


The kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. The amount of kinetic energy (KE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its velocity (v). The formula for calculating the kinetic energy is

KE = 0.5 • m • v2


The formula for kinetic energy is stated in the Formula Fix section above. The amount of kinetic energy possessed by an object depends directly upon the square of speed (or velocity). An increase in speed will increase the kinetic energy. In fact, an increase in the speed by a factor of 2 will increase the kinetic energy by a factor of 22 or 4.


How does an alteration in speed effect an object's kinetic energy?

What variables would effect the kinetic energy possessed by an object?

 

 

A 5-kg object is moving with a speed of 4 m/s at a height of 2 m. The kinetic energy of the object is approximately ____ J.


The kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. The amount of kinetic energy (KE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its velocity (v). The formula for calculating the kinetic energy is

KE = 0.5 • m • v2


This is a straightforward calculation of kinetic energy from mass and speed. There are two common mistakes which students are prone to make. First, there is the mistake of forgetting to multiply by 0.5 (or dividing by 2). Second, there is the mistake of forgetting to square the speed.

How does one calculate the kinetic energy of an object?

 

 

An object will definitely have potential energy if it is _____.


Definition of Potential Energy:

Potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position. The most common type of potential energy - gravitational potential energy - is the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position relative to the ground or some zero level.


Many students confuse potential energy with kinetic energy. Such students gain the incorrect notion that if an object has kinetic energy, then it does not have potential energy (or vice versa). But don't be fooled! Such an idea is not correct. Objects can have both kinetic energy and potential energy at the same time. An object can be moving (have kinetic energy) and be elevated above the ground at the same time (and also have potential energy). A baseball, a plane, a flying bird are all simple examples of this. In order to have potential energy, the object simply has to have a nonzero height.


How can one know if an object has potential energy?

What is potential energy?

 

 

TRUE or FALSE:

If an object has kinetic energy, then its potential energy is 0 J.

(Note: Your true-false statement is randomly chosen and may differ from the above statement.)


Definition of Potential Energy:

Potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position. The most common type of potential energy - gravitational potential energy - is the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position relative to the ground or some zero level.


Many students confuse potential energy with kinetic energy. Such students gain the incorrect notion that if an object has kinetic energy, then it does not have potential energy (or vice versa). But don't be fooled! Such an idea is not correct. Objects can have both kinetic energy and potential energy at the same time. An object can be moving (have kinetic energy) and be elevated above the ground at the same time (and also have potential energy). A baseball, a plane, a flying bird are all simple examples of this. In order to have potential energy, the object simply has to have a nonzero height.


How can one know if an object has potential energy?

What is potential energy?

 

 

Which of the following variations will increase the potential energy of an object?


The potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position above (or below) the ground or some zero level. The amount of potential energy (PE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its height (h). The formula for calculating the potential energy is

PE = m • g • h

where g is the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s/s on Earth)


The formula for potential energy is stated in the Formula Fix section above. As expressed by the equation, potential energy depends upon the mass and the height of the object. Any increase in these two quantities will lead to an increase in the amount of potential energy possessed by the object.


Many students become confused by height, speed, and potential energy. Potential energy is simply the energy stored in an object due its vertical position. The higher an object is raised, the more potential energy which it possesses. Often times (but certainly not always) an increase in height corresponds to a decrease in speed. So some gain the impression that a decrease in speed will always lead to an increase in height. But don't be fooled! This type of thinking is not correct. First, it puts the cart before the horse (or the effect before the cause). It is an increase in the height that causes the decrease in speed (when they do correspond to each other). And second, it is simply not always true that the change in height leads to a change in speed. It is possible for an object to decrease its height at a constant speed - for instance, when climbing down a flight of stairs or descending on an elevator. In the end, the only two variables which can be used to evaluate whether or not the potential energy has increased are the variables of mass and height.


What variables would effect the potential energy possessed by an object?

 

 

A 5-kg object is moving with a speed of 4 m/s at a height of 2 m. The potential energy of the object is approximately ____ J.


The potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position above (or below) the ground or some zero level. The amount of potential energy (PE) possessed by an object depends upon its mass (m) and its height (h). The formula for calculating the potential energy is

PE = m • g • h

where g is the acceleration of gravity (9.8 m/s/s on Earth)



This is a straightforward calculation of potential energy from mass and height. Of course the speed value which is stated has nothing to do with the potential energy calculation. To be approximate (and arrive at the answer more quickly), use the approximation that g is 10 m/s/s.


 

How does one calculate the potential energy of an object?