03/02/2017

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KINETIC AND POTENTIAL ENERGY

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POTENTIAL ENERGY DERIVATION

• An object of mass m is raised through a vertical height Δh at a
constant speed
• Force needed to raise the object is equal and opposite to the weight
of the object (weight = mg)

• Work done on the object = force to raise it x vertical height moved

W = mgΔh
• Work done on the object increases its Gravitational Potential Energy
ΔEp = mgΔh

POTENTIAL ENERGY
• Energy of position
• Gravitational potential energy is a result of vertical position or height
• Energy is stored as a result of gravitational attraction
• Datum (where h=0) is arbitrary
• ΔEp = mgΔh
• Elastic potential energy is stored in elastic materials as a result of their
stretching or compressing

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HOOKE’S LAW
• A force is required to compress a spring; the more compression there
is, the more force that is required to compress it further.
• The amount of force is directly proportional to the amount of stretch or
compression (x); the constant of proportionality is known as the spring
constant (k).
Fspring = k x

• If force = 0, compression/stretch = 0
• When x = 0 spring is in equilibrium position

HOOKE’S LAW  ELASTIC POTENTIAL ENERGY

• Work done on the spring = force x distance
• the force required to stretch a spring
changes with distance

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1. A cart is pulled at constant

speed along an inclined
plane. If the mass of the cart is
3.0 kg and the vertical height
it reaches is 0.45 meters, what
is the potential energy of the
cart at the final height?
2. If a force of 14.7 N is used to
drag the cart along the incline
for a distance of 0.90 meters,
then how much work is done 1. GPE = 13.2 J
on the cart? 2. Work = 13.2 J

A truck spring has a spring constant of 50000 N/m.

When unloaded, the truck sits 0.8 m above the road.
When loaded with goods, it lowers to 0.7 m above
the ground. How much potential energy is stored in
the four springs?

1000 J

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a) 18.6N/m
b) PE = 1.3J
c) Extension is half, energy is half

KINETIC ENERGY DERIVATION

• Consider an object of mass m, initially at rest, acted on by constant
force F for time t
• Speed at time t is v
• Distance travelled by the object is….

• Acceleration is and Newton:
• Work = Force x Distance

x
Gain in kinetic energy is due to the work done!

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A trained archer has the ability to draw a

longbow with a force of up to 300 N, extending
the string back by 0.6 m. Assuming the bow
behaves like an ideal spring,
a) What spring constant would allow the archer
to make use of his full strength?
b) What potential energy is stored in the bow
when it is drawn?
c) Assuming the arrow has a mass of 30 g,
approximately what speed will it be fired at?
d) Suppose that measurements from a high
speed camera show the arrow to be moving
at a somewhat slower speed (at the moment
of release) than predicted by conservation
a) 500N/m of energy. Is there any work being done that
b) 90J we have not accounted for?
c) 77.5m/s

d) At the moment the arrow leaves the bow, the part of the
bow string which is in contact with the arrow is necessarily
also moving at the speed of the arrow. Ideally the string
would be very light compared to the arrow, however the
string (and possibly parts of the bow) have some kinetic
energy as the arrow leaves the bow which has not been
taken into account.
The bow might not be an ideal spring. Some of work done by
the archer may have been dissipated as heat in the bow.

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PE = 0.0486J
V = 0.402 m/s