Potential energy is stored energy that can be released, while kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Gravitational potential energy can be calculated using the formula GPE = mgh. When an object is released, its potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy. Conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Kinetic energy can be calculated using the formula KE = ½ mv2.
The difference between potential and kinetic energy boils down to a very simple property of the object. If an object is moving, then it has kinetic energy, or kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Potential energy is energy that is stored in an object and can be released under the right conditions. Therefore, the difference between these two types of energy boils down to whether an object moves or not.
Many objects have potential energy that can be released in many different ways. Fuels and food contain potential energy, which is released as thermal or chemical energy, respectively. Springs also contain potential energy. When a spring is released, potential energy is released as kinetic energy. Another example of potential energy is gravitational potential energy.
Gravitational potential energy is a type of energy that an object possesses because it is lifted off the ground. The amount of gravitational potential energy the object has when it is lifted can be determined by measuring the amount of work required to get it there using the height it was lifted to (h), its mass (m), and the gravitational pull of the earth (g), which is 10 N/kg. The formula for gravitational potential energy is GPE = mgh. For example, a 50 kg weight lifted 5 m would have a GPE of 50 x 5 x 10, or 2500 joules (J), the unit of energy.
If the weight used in the previous example were released, its gravitational potential energy would be transformed into kinetic energy. The weight begins with only gravitational potential energy as it is held above the ground. When released, it begins to accelerate towards the ground due to gravitational pull. By doing so, it will have both potential and kinetic energy. The closer it gets to the ground, the more of its potential energy is transferred into kinetic energy until it is about to hit the ground and all that energy has turned into kinetic energy.
This is the principle behind the conservation of energy in physics. Conservation of energy states that energy can neither be destroyed nor created and is a fundamental law of physics. From above, gravitational potential energy was initially transferred from the work to lift the weight. Second, the kinetic energy was transferred from the stored gravitational potential energy of the lifted weight. In other words, potential and kinetic energy are the same.
Kinetic energy is calculated using an object’s mass (m) and its velocity (v) in the following equation: KE = ½ mv2 (mass x velocity squared divided by 2). Using our example above, we already know the kinetic energy of the weight because the potential and kinetic energy are the same. The weight has a kinetic energy of 2500 J just before hitting the ground. We can use it to determine its speed when it hits the ground, or its impact speed. Rearranging the formula for kinetic energy, we get – v2 = 2KE/m or v2 = 2 x 2500 / 50 = 100, so the impact velocity of the weight is 10m/s (the square root of 100).
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