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Gravitational energy or gravitational potential energy is the potential energy a massive object has due to its position in a gravitational field. It is the mechanical work done by the gravitational force to bring the mass from a chosen reference point (often an "infinite distance" from the mass generating the field) to some other point in the ...
The kinetic energy is equal to 1/2 the product of the mass and the square of the speed. In formula form: where is the mass and is the speed (magnitude of the velocity) of the body. In SI units, mass is measured in kilograms, speed in metres per second, and the resulting kinetic energy is in joules.
There are various types of potential energy, each associated with a particular type of force. For example, the work of an elastic force is called elastic potential energy; work of the gravitational force is called gravitational potential energy; work of the Coulomb force is called electric potential energy; work of the strong nuclear force or weak nuclear force acting on the baryon charge is ...
Gravitational potential. In classical mechanics, the gravitational potential is a scalar field associating with each point in space the work (energy transferred) per unit mass that would be needed to move an object to that point from a fixed reference point. It is analogous to the electric potential with mass playing the role of charge.
Without friction to dissipate a body's energy into heat, the body's energy will trade between potential and (non-thermal) kinetic forms while the total amount remains constant. Any gain of kinetic energy, which occurs when the net force on the body accelerates it to a higher speed, must be accompanied by a loss of potential energy.
General. Energy is a scalar quantity and the mechanical energy of a system is the sum of the potential energy (which is measured by the position of the parts of the system) and the kinetic energy (which is also called the energy of motion): [1][2] The potential energy, U, depends on the position of an object subjected to gravity or some other ...
For the case of a conservative force given by the gradient of some potential energy V, a function of the r k coordinates only, substituting the Lagrangian L = T − V gives ˙ ⏟ + ⏟ + = =, and identifying the derivatives of kinetic energy as the (negative of the) resultant force, and the derivatives of the potential equaling the non ...
For head-on collisions between alpha particles and the nucleus, all the kinetic energy of the alpha particle is turned into potential energy and the particle stops and turns back. [17]: 5 Schematic view of a head-on collision between an alpha particle and an atom with the minimum distance greatly exaggerated