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13- Explain Potential energy, and write down the formula? What do the letters stand for? 14- Explain the Law of conservation of energy and give an example.

Ask by Wilson Wang. in the United States
Mar 12,2025

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**13. Potential Energy** Potential energy is the energy an object has due to its position or state. For example, gravitational potential energy is calculated using the formula: \[ U = mgh \] where: - \( m \) is the mass, - \( g \) is gravity, - \( h \) is height. **14. Law of Conservation of Energy** This law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another. For example, in a pendulum, energy changes from potential at the top to kinetic at the bottom, but the total energy remains the same.

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**13. Potential Energy** Potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position, configuration, or state. One common example is gravitational potential energy, which is the energy an object possesses because of its height above a reference level. The formula for gravitational potential energy is given by: \[ U = mgh \] where: - \( m \) is the mass of the object, - \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) on Earth), - \( h \) is the height of the object relative to the reference level. --- **14. Law of Conservation of Energy** The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system; it can only change forms. This means that the total energy in a system remains constant over time, even though energy may be transformed from one type to another. *Example:* Consider a pendulum. At its highest point, the pendulum has maximum gravitational potential energy \( (U = mgh) \) and minimal kinetic energy. As it swings downward, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. At the lowest point of the swing, the kinetic energy is at its maximum while the potential energy is at its minimum. Despite these changes in energy form, the total energy of the pendulum system remains constant (ignoring air resistance and friction).

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Potential energy is the stored energy in an object due to its position or state. The most common form is gravitational potential energy, which is calculated using the formula PE = mgh. Here, "PE" stands for potential energy, "m" represents mass (in kilograms), "g" is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s²), and "h" is the height above a reference point (in meters). So, the higher something is lifted, the more potential energy it possesses! The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. A classic example is a pendulum: at its highest point, it has maximum potential energy, which converts to kinetic energy as it swings down. When it reaches the lowest point, its kinetic energy is at a maximum, and as it swings back up, that kinetic energy is converted back to potential energy. Energy is always conserved throughout this process, just like a dance between forms!

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