CENTRE HIGH: PHYSICS 30

UNIT 1: CONSERVATION LAWS

Lesson 3: Types of Energy

Recommended Reading:
Ladner pp. 6 - 8 p. 10 Heath pp. 287 - 296

Recall: Work is a bridge between dynamics and energetics

Work W = Fd cos Force W = E Energy

We will now see how work was used to derive each form of energy.

B3. Work and Energy

Work: If work is done on an object, its energy will change W = E

Energy - energy is the ability to do work

- the more energy an object has, the more work it can do

C. MECHANICAL ENERGY (ME)

- there are three types of mechanical energy: 1. Kinetic energy (KE) - due to speed 2. Gravitational Potential Energy (PEg) - due to height

3. Elastic Potential Energy (Ee)

- due to stretching / compressing

- all are scalars (they have no direction)

C1. Kinetic Energy (KE or Ek)

- energy due to speed or motion - if an object has speed, it can do work on another object

Consider a car moving towards a large crate e.g.

How do we know that the car has energy?

When the car hits the crate, it does work on the crate (i.e. it moves the crate over a distance)

Thus, it must have energy due to its motion

Equation:
KE = 0.5 mv2 where m is the mass of the object (in kg) v is the speed of the object (in m/s) Units: Joules (J) Based on the equation above, what is an equivalent unit for a Joule?

Equation:
KE = 0.5 mv2 where m is the mass of the object (in kg) v is the speed of the object (in m/s) Units: Joules (J) 1 J = 1 kg m s
2

= 1 kg m2 s2

Note: KE is always positive (it can never be negative)

Derivation:
To see how the equation KE = 0.5 mv2 was derived using the concept of work, you can read: Ladner p. 10 Heath p. 287

You are not responsible for this, though.

Ex. 1 A 560 kg car is travelling at 40.0 km/h. a) Find its kinetic energy. b) If it then loses 21.1 kJ, then find its final speed (in m/s).

a)
KEi = 0.5 m vi2

Remember: The speed must be in m/s

a)

vi = 40.0 x 1000 m = 11.1111 m/s 3600 s

KEi = 0.5 mvi2 = 0.5 (560 kg) (11.111 m/s)2 = 34568 J

KEi =

3.46 x 104 J

b) Since the car loses 21.1 kJ,

KEf = KEi - 21.1 103 J = (34568 J) = 13468 J - (21.1 103 J)

b)
KEf = 0.5 mvf2 vf2 = KEf

0.5 m
vf = KEf 0.5 m = 13468 J 0.5 (560 kg)

6.94 m/s

Practice Problems:
Try: Ladner p.11 #1 - 6

C2. Gravitational Potential Energy (PEg or Epg)

- stored energy due to an object's height - if an object has height, it can do work on another object

Consider an object located a height above a nail

Object

Nail

How do we know the object has energy?

When the block is dropped, it does work on the nail (applies a force over a distance) Thus, it must have energy

Equation:
PEg = m g h where m is the mass of the object (in kg) g is the magnitude of gravity (in N/kg) h is the height of an object

Units:
Joules (J)

Derivation:
To see how the equation PEg = m g h was derived using the concept of work, you can read: Heath p. 298 - 299

You are not responsible for this, though.

Determining heights:
Height is always measured relative to some reference height

At ref height, h = 0
Above ref height, h is positive (h > 0) Below ref height, h is negative (h < 0)

e.g. Consider an object moving on the following path:

B 15 m A

12 m C

If the reference height is at A:

B 15 m A Ref h

12 m hA = 0 C

hB = + 15 m (above ref height) 15 m A

Ref h

12 m C

B 15 m A Ref h

hC = 12 m (below ref height)

12 m C

But, if the reference height is at C:

B 15 m A

12 m C Ref h

hA = + 12 m (above ref height)

B 15 m A

12 m C Ref h

hB = + 27 m (above ref height) 15 m A

12 m C Ref h

B 15 m A

hC = 0 (at ref height)

12 m Ref h C

Why is PEg relative to reference height?

To understand this, answer the following: How much work can this object do if it is dropped?

If dropped forward:

Big PEg Lots of work

Ref h

If dropped forward:

Big PEg Lots of work

Ref h

But what if it was dropped backwards?

Small PEg Little work

Ref h

If dropped backward, it has far less PEg

So, how much PEg does this object have?

It depends on the ref height chosen

Thus, PEg is not a measurable value It is relative.

But as we will discover in the next example,

Change in PEg (PEg) is independent of ref height and thus, it is measurable

Ex. 2 An 8.00 N object is lifted from position A to position B. B

150 cm A 60 cm ground Find the change in gravitational potential energy if the ref height is: a) the ground b) position A

For both questions, notice:

PEg = PEgf - PEgi = m g hf - m g hi = m g (hf - hi)

Also, the weight of the object is 8.00 N i.e. Weight = m g = 8.00 N

a)

DLESC

B
hf = +150 cm A

hi = +60 cm Ref height (h = 0)

a)

DLESC

B
hf = +150 cm A

hi = +60 cm Ref height (h = 0)

PEg = m g (hf - hi)

= (8.00 N) (1.50 m - 0.60 m) = 7.2 J Positive answer PEg is increasing

b)

B
90 cm 150 cm A 60 cm Ref height (h = 0)

When the ref height is A,

hi = 0 (since it starts at the reference height) hf = +0.90 m

b)

B
90 cm 150 cm A 60 cm Ref height (h = 0)

PEg = m g (hf - hi)

= (8.00 N) (0.90 m - 0 m) = 7.2 J Same answer as (a)

From this example, you can see that the change in gravitational potential energy (PEg) is independent of reference height.
That is, we got the same value for PEg with two different reference heights

Why is this valuable? It means that PEg is measurable

Practice Problems:
Try: Ladner p.8 #1, 3 - 5

C3. Elastic Potential Energy (Ee or Es) - energy due to stretching / compressing an elastic material - if you compress a spring, it can do work on an object e.g. Compressed spring

The spring did work on the object.

Equation:
Ee = 0.5 kx2 where k is the stiffness or spring constant (in N/m) x is the amount the spring is stretched / compressed from its rest length (in m) Ee is the energy stored within a spring (in J)

Derivation:
To see how the equation Ee = 0.5 kx2 was derived using the concept of work, you can read: Heath p. 293 - 295

You are not responsible for this, though.

Ex. 3 A spring has a rest length of 24.0 cm. If the spring is stretched to a length of 35.0 cm and stores 2.8 kJ of energy, then what is its spring constant (in N/m)?
Show why the units will become N/m.

Ee = 0.5 kx2

We know that Ee = 2.8 103 J, but what is x?

x is the length the spring has been stretched from its rest length i.e. 24.0 cm (rest length)
x = 11.0 cm

35.0 cm

Ee = 0.5 kx2
k = Ee 0.5 x2 = 2.8 x 103 J 0.5 (0.110 m)2

4.6 x 105 N/m

We need to show that

1 J = m2

1 N m

We need to show that

1 J = m2

1 N m

Based on the equation W = F d, we know that 1 J = 1 Nm So, J = Nm m2 m2 = N m

Practice Problems:
Try: Heath p.297 #1 - 3

SUMMARY 1. When work is done on an object, its energy __________ Energy is the ability to do _____________
2. KE is the energy due to ____________ PEg is the energy due to ______________ Ee is the energy due to ________________ 3. Which is the only energy that can be negative? When? 4. PEg is relative to ___________________ But __________________ is not.

5. What does it mean when E is positive? negative?

SUMMARY 1. When work is done on an object, its energy changes Energy is the ability to do work
2. KE is the energy due to speed (motion) PEg is the energy due to height Ee is the energy due to stretching / compressing

SUMMARY 3. Which is the only energy that can be negative? When? Only PEg can be negative When the object is below the reference height
4. PEg is relative to reference height But change in PEg is not. 5. If E is positive, then E is increasing If it is negative, it is decreasing