Potential Energy Details

Potential Energy: Energy that is stored in an object (to be used later)

• Objects have potential energy due to their position or shape
  • For example, two rock climbers have potential energy because of their position on a cliff
    • They used kinetic energy to get on the cliff, now that energy is being stored as potential energy because of how high they are
    • Elastic Potential Energy: Potential energy caused by changing the shape of an object, if the object will return to it's original shape when released
    • They have the potential to fall (if they fall, the potential energy would become kinetic energy again
      • • Anything above Earth's surface has gravitational potential energy
        • The object's gravitational potential energy depends on it's mass and distance above the ground

      PE = mgh  (g = 9.8m/s² and is constant for the Earth)

       

      Gravitational Potential Energy = mass x gravity x height 

       

      Elastic Potential Energy :
    • Potential energy caused by the changing shape of an object, if an object will return to its original shape when released
      • • More energy put into the object to stretch it, the more potential energy stored
          • objects stretched greater distances have more elastic potential energy

      PE_e= 1/2kd²   (k is constant for a given spring)

      ^{Elastic Potential Energy = 1/2 x spring constant x distance stretched x distance stretched)}