GRAVITATIONAL

POTENTIAL ENERGY
(GPE)
AND
KINETIC ENERGY (KE)
 ALL ENERGY HAS

KINETIC
ENERGY
POTENTIAL
ENERGY
 POTENTIAL ENERGY
Potential energy is the
energy stored in an
object because of its
position.

"Potential" simply
means the energy has
the ability to do
something useful later
on
 TYPE OF POTENTIAL
POTENTIAL ENERGY ENERGY
Energy stored by things that
stretch or compress

Elastic Potential Energy

A stretched rubber band, A
drawn Bow and Arrow

is the amount of energy an object

has because of its position above
the ground, i.e. its height.
Gravitational Potential Energy
(GPE)
Example: roller coaster, Water
at the top of a waterfall
 GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL
ENERGY
The amount of GPE an object has
depends on its mass, the
acceleration due to gravity, and its
height above ground.

GPE = m x g x h
GPE
NOTE:
GPE = Gravitational Potential Energy
(Joules)
m = Mass (kg)
m g h
g = Gravitational field strength (m/s2
or N/kg) usually taken as 10 N/kg
h = height (m)
 Which object has more potential energy?

A
 ANSWER

This brick has more mass than the feather;

therefore more potential energy!
 Changing an objects’ height can change its
potential energy.
• If I want to drop an apple from the top of one of these
three things, where will be the most potential energy?

A
C
B
 ANSWER

A
• The higher the
object, the more
potential energy!
 GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL
ENERGY When a bungee
jumper starts to fall
he starts to lose
GPE.
From the formula, we can
conclude that:

1. The higher an object,

the more potential
energy. As the elastic
cord pulls the
2. The more mass an
bungee jumper
object has, the more back up, he
potential energy it has. gains GPE
Factors affecting GPE

11 of 8 © Boardworks Ltd 2015

GPE, mass and height calculations

12 of 8 © Boardworks Ltd 2015

 KINETIC ENERGY
Kinetic energy is the energy an object has
because it is moving.
All moving things have kinetic energy, but the
amount of energy they have is not just
dependent on how fast they are moving.

KE = ½ x mass x velocity2
= ½mv2
NOTE:
KE = Kinetic Energy (Joules)
m = Mass (kg)
V = velocity (m/s) KE
2
1/2 m v
Calculating kinetic energy question
A truck with a mass
of 1,500 kg travels at
a velocity of 20 m/s.
What is the kinetic
energy of the truck?

kinetic energy = ½ x mass x velocity2

= ½ x 1,500 x 202
= 300,000 J = 300 kJ
 Rearranging the KE
equation
Sometimes it is necessary to rearrange the kinetic energy
equation in order to calculate the mass or the velocity of
a moving object.

KE = ½mv2

What are the rearranged versions of this equation for

calculating mass and velocity?

m =
2KE
v2
v =
√ 2KE
m
 Calculating velocity question
A truck has a mass of 2 kg. If its
kinetic energy is 225 J,
at what velocity is it traveling?

KE = ½ x mass x velocity2

velocity = √ 2KE
mass

= √ 2 x 225
2

= 15 m/s
KE, mass and velocity calculations
The kinetic energy of cars
 Dangerous speeding?
Use the KE = ½mv2 equation to fill in the kinetic energy
values in the table below for two cars each traveling at
two different velocities.

1,000 kg 2,000 kg

20 mph KE = 40 kJ KE = 80 kJ

40 mph KE = 160 kJ KE = 320 kJ

What factor – mass or velocity – has the greatest effect on the kinetic energy of a
moving object?
 Too much kinetic energy
Doubling the mass of a moving object doubles its kinetic energy, but doubling the
velocity quadruples its kinetic energy.

If the velocity of a car is slightly above the speed limit,

its kinetic energy is much greater than it would be at
the speed limit. This means that:
● It is more difficult to stop the
car and there is more chance
of an accident.
● It the car does collide with
something, more energy will
be transferred, causing more
damage.
 Potential Energy Converted to
Kinetic Energy…
• When stored energy begins to move, the
object now transfers from potential
energy into kinetic energy.
Changing Kinetic & Potential
Energy
In a previous slide, we discussed how the potential
energy of an object can change to kinetic energy.

For example, when you are holding the bowling ball, it

has potential energy. As you release the ball, most of its
energy is kinetic. However, as the ball begins to slow its
kinetic energy decreases. But, the total energy of the ball
hasn’t changed.

The decrease in kinetic energy equals the increase in

potential energy. The total amount of energy remains
constant.
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ce.cfm
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ie.cfm
 Changing Kinetic & Potential Energy

KE = Kinetic Energy
PE = Potential Energy
W = Work
TME = Time
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/se.cfm
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

Shooting a Dart

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/dg.cfm
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

Pendulum

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/pe.cfm
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/hw.cfm
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/hh.cfm
 points
1. You serve a volley ball with a mass of
2.1kg. The ball leaves your hand at 30m/s.
The ball has __________________ energy.
Calculate it.
 points
2. There is a bell at the top of a tower that
is 45m high. The bell weighs 190N. The bell
has ___________________ energy.
Calculate it.
 points
3. What is the velocity of a 500kg elevator
that has 4000J of energy?
 points
4. The potential energy of an apple is 6.0
joules. The apple is 3m high. What is the
mass of the apple?
 points
5. What is the mass of an object that
creates 33,750J of energy by traveling at
30m/s?
 points
6. Barbie, the former platform diver for the
Ringling Brothers’ Circus had a kinetic
energy of 15,000J just prior to hitting the
bucket of water. If Barbie’s mass is 50kg,
the what was her velocity?
 points
7. A 75kg refrigerator is located on the
70th floor of a skyscraper (300m above
ground). What is the potential energy of
the refrigerator?
 points
8. At what height is an object that has a
mass of 50kg, if its gravitational potential
energy is 9800J?
 points
9. A bullet has a mass of 0.0042kg. The
muzzle velocity of the bullet coming out of
the barrel of the rifle is 993m/s. What is
the KE of the bullet as it exits the gun
barrel?
 points
10. If the acceleration on a new planet is
5.2 m/s2 and a meteor is sitting on a
hilltop at 100 m with 650 J of PE,the
velocity of the meteor is 4 m/s then
what is the mass of the meteor,KE and
ME?
Summarizing Strategy