Conservation

of Energy
KINETIC & POTENTIAL
Imagine our bowling
Potential Energy
ball is sitting on a table. changes to
It has Potential Energy Kinetic Energy
as it sits on the table
because it has the
ability to cause change.

What happens if the

bowling ball falls off the
table?
 Law of Conservation of
Energy

• Energy can be neither created nor destroyed by

ordinary means.

• Energy can be transformed or transferred from

one form to another.

• The total amount of energy is the before and

same
after any transformation or transfer.
 Mechanical
• Mechanical energy is the energy
which is possessed by an object due to
its motion or its stored energy of
position
– Kinetic energy : is the energy of motion
– Potential Energy : an object can store
energy as the result of its position or
elastic source
 Mechanical Energy
• Mechanical Energy = PE + KE

• If no external forces act on a system,

the total energy of the system will
remain constant.
 Conservation of Energy
Energy

Mechanical Non-mechanical

Kinetic Potential

Gravitational Elastic
The total mechanical energy of an isolated system, one in which
no energy is added to or taken out of, remains constant.

KEi  PEi  KE f  PE f
 Changing Kinetic
Energy & Potential
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.
 Energy Transformation
• An objects energy can be:
1. All Kinetic Energy 2. All Potential Energy
3. A combination of both

• As velocity increases kinetic energy increases

and potential energy decreases

decreases decreases
• As velocity kinetic energy
increases
and potential energy
AT IS THE TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP KE AND PE HAVE?
INVERSE
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ce.cfm
Conservation of Mechanical
Energy
ME = KE + PE
KEinitial + PEinitial = KEfinal + PEfinal
1. When is the kinetic energy increasing?
2. When is the potential energy increasing?
3. When is the total energy increasing?
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/ie.cfm
 Example 1:
• A student with a mass of 55 kg starts from rest and
slides down a frictionless slide that is 3 meters
high.
1. What is the student’s kinetic energy at the bottom of
the slide.
2. What is the student’s speed at the bottom of the
slide?
KEinitial + PEinitial = KEfinal + PEfinal
• KEinitial = 0 because v is 0 at top of slide.
• PEinitial = mgh
• KEfinal = ½ mv2
• PEfinal = 0 at bottom of slide.
 Example 1 (cont.)
1. PEinitial = KEfinal
– mgh = KEfinal
– KEfinal = (55kg)(9.81m/s2)(3.0m)
– KEfinal = 1620 Joules
2. KEfinal = ½mv2
– v =√ 2KE/m
– v = (2)(1620J)/(55kg)
– v = 7.67 m/s
m=75 kg
v=o

A
B

Calculate the Kinetic energy and Gravitational Potential

energy at the following points: 1) A 2) B 3) C
 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
 Pendulum conserves energy
E=mghmax
E=mghmax

hmax

E=1/2 m(vmax)2
 Changing Kinetic
& Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/energy/hh.cfm
Kinetic Energy transformed to Elastic Spring
Potential Energy
 BOW AND ARROW:
1. The arrow initially has Elastic spring potential energy.
2. When it it released it changes to kinetic energy
1 1 2
3. Therefore the initial PEs = KEf
kx  mv
2

2 2
If the bow is stretched 0.5 meters from
Its equilibrium position, and the mass
of the arrow is 0 .2kg, find:

1. The initial elastic spring potential stored

Spring constant in the arrow
k =100 N/m 2. The final speed of the arrow as it leaves
the bow.
Read and Explain
 Changing Kinetic & Potential Energy

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

Potential energykinetic energy

Friction: energy gets

converted to heat
Conservation of Mechanical
Energy
• Mechanical Energy:
– If Internal Energy(Q) is ignored:
ME = KE + GPE + EPE
• PE could be a combination of gravitational
and elastic potential energy, or any other
form of potential energy.
Summarizing Strategy
Use the Kinetic & Potential Energy
Graphic Organizer to take notes.