IPRC KIGALI

ENGINEERING PHYSICS

ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020

ENERGY AND POWER

Module leader: Mr. Projecte HABYARIMANA

1. ENERGY
• Kinetic energy(KE): is the
Energy is the ability of a body to energy possessed by an object
do work. due to its speed
We have different forms of Energy:
• Mechanical energy If an object of mass m is moving with
• Electrical energy a speed v, it has translational KE
given by:
• Chemical energy
• Thermal energy
• Nuclear energy
• ………….
Here we will mainly be concerned
with Mechanical energy The unity is Joule
 Mechanical energy • Potential Energy: is the
is the energy possessed by an energy possessed by an object
object due to its speed and due to its position
position.
 THE WORK- KINETIC ENERGY
THEOREM
Substituting the value of as in equation (2)
• Consider a body of mass m, starting from from equation (3), we get:
initial velocity u, to a final velocity v, covering
a distance s.
• According to Newton’s 2nd law, the net force
produces an acceleration a, given by
a = F/m, this can be written as

It states that:
Multiplying both sides of the above equation
When a net force does work, W on
by distance covered, s
an object, Kinetic Energy of the
object changes from its initial
value of KEi to a final value of KEf,
the difference between the two
Consider the equation,
values being equal to work.
 EXAMPLES
Example 1:
A mass car which was initially moving with a uniform
velocity of along a horizontal road decelerates
continually to its stopping point located at away.
Calculate:
• The retarding force applied to the car during deceleration
• The work done by the car during that process
Example 2:
A train of mass accelerates uniformly from rest along
a level track and travels in the first . Calculate:
• The acceleration of the train
• Calculate the work done by the train during the travel
 CONSERVATIVE FORCES AND NON CONSERVATIVE
FORCES

• A force is conservative if the work it does on a moving object

doesn't depend on the path of motion. Depends only on the initial
and final positions
 For a closed path, the total work done by a conservative force is
zero
• A force is non-conservative if the work it does on a moving object
depends on the path of motion.
 For a closed path, the total work done by a non-conservative force
is not zero as for a conservative force.
 THE WORK-ENERGY THEOREM

In most everyday situation, both conservative and non-conservative forces contribute

to the net force acting on an object. Therefore, the work done by net force is:

If the only conservative force acting in an object is gravitational force,

Therefore work energy theorem becomes:

This states that the work done by all non-conservative forces is equal to change in
K.E. plus change in P.E.
 THE CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY

• The sum of K.E. and P.E. is called total mechanical energy,

The work energy theorem can be expressed in terms of the total mechanical
energy

The above equation states that Wnc, the net work done by non-conservative forces
changes the total Mechanical Energy( M.E) from an initial ,Eo to final value Ef.
Suppose that only the gravitational force does work on the object, then , net work
done by non-conservative force is zero. (Wn = 0)
Then
The total M.E.(E = KE + PE) of an object remains constant , as the object moves, provided
that the net work done by non-conservative force is zero.
Example :
• A cyclist, together with his bicycle, has total mass of 90kg and is travelling
with speed of 15m/s on a flat road at A, he then goes down a small slope to
B so descending 4m. Calculate:
 The loss of potential energy between A and B
 The speed at B, assuming that all the lost energy is transformed into K.E. of
the cyclist and the bicycle.
 2. Power
Power is the rate of doing work.

SI unit of power : joule/second = watt (w)

NB: 1horse power = 550 foot pounds/second = 746 watts
 Examples:
1. A car, starting from rest, accelerates during . The
magnitude of the acceleration is . . Determine the average power
generated by the net force to accelerate that vehicle

2. A car of mass moving on a horizontal road with a steady velocity of

has a total frictional force on it of . Find the power due to the engine
The car now starts to climb a hill at an angle of to the horizontal. Assuming
the frictional force stays constant at , what engine power is now needed to
keep the car moving at ?