Mission WE7 Mechanical Energy Conservation

Mission WE7 pertains to situations in which the mechanical energy of an object is conserved. You should understand the conditions under which mechanical energy is and is not conserved and apply conservation principles to such situations. The mission consists of 32 questions organized into 8 Question Groups. You must answer one question from each Question Group to complete the mission. The learning outcomes for this mission are ...

• The student should be able to identify the basic principles of and the conditions required for mechanical energy conservation.
• The student should be able to apply the principles of mechanical energy conservation to a variety of physical situations.

If you are not familiar with this topic, then you should first learn about the topic using our written Tutorial or our Video Tutorial:
 

• What types of forces are internal (i.e., conservative) and what types are external (i.e., non-conservative)?
• What is meant by total mechanical energy?
• What is meant when it is said that the total mechanical energy of an object is conserved?
• What condition(s) is (are) necessary in order for the total mechanical energy of an object to be conserved?
• What variables effect the potential energy of an object and in what way does the amount of potential energy depend upon the object's height?
• How can mechanical energy conservation be used to predict the amount of kinetic or potential energy of an object in any given state of its motion?
• How can one use height or speed information about the initial state of two objects in order to compare a motion parameter in its final state?
• How can one determine the speed of an object from energy information?
• How can one determine the height of an object from energy information?

Mechanical Energy Conservation