All Flashcards
What is the difference between Kinetic and Potential Energy?
Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion. | Potential Energy: Stored energy due to position or condition.
What is the difference between Conservative and Non-conservative forces?
Conservative Forces: Energy is converted between KE and PE without loss. | Non-conservative Forces: Energy is dissipated as thermal energy (e.g., friction).
Compare a system with constant total energy to one where energy is transferred.
Constant Total Energy: No energy enters or leaves the system; all conversions are internal. | Energy Transfer: Energy enters or leaves the system, changing the total energy.
Compare positive work and negative work.
Positive Work: Increases the total energy of the system. | Negative Work: Decreases the total energy of the system.
Compare mechanical energy in a frictionless system vs. a system with friction.
Frictionless System: Mechanical energy is conserved. | System with Friction: Mechanical energy is converted to thermal energy.
What is kinetic energy?
Energy of motion,
What is gravitational potential energy?
Energy due to an object's height,
What is elastic potential energy?
Energy stored in a spring,
What is mechanical energy?
The sum of kinetic and potential energies:
Define a conservative force.
A force where energy can be converted between KE and PE without loss (e.g., gravity, spring force).
What is work in terms of energy?
The transfer of energy to or from a system.
What is the effect of nonconservative forces doing work on a system?
The total mechanical energy of the system changes; energy is often lost as heat or sound.
What happens when only conservative forces act on a system?
The total mechanical energy of the system is conserved.
What is the effect of friction on a moving object?
Friction does negative work, reducing the kinetic energy of the object and converting it to thermal energy.