Potential energy is mechanical energy acquired by an object due to its position. It is stored energy that depends upon the relative position of the object and a reference point or level. Potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy and vice versa. It is a scalar quantity and a state function.
When was Potential Energy Discovered
Scottish engineer William Rankine coined the term potential energy in 1853.
There are three main types of potential energy.
The gravitational potential energy is due to the Earth''s gravitational force. It is the energy stored in an object due to its height from the surface of the Earth.
Here are some examples of gravitational potential energy found in the home, everyday life, and nature.
The gravitational potential energy depends on two factors – the object''s mass and its height from Earth''s surface. Suppose an object of mass m is at a height h from the surface of the Earth. Then, the potential energy can be calculated from the following equation.
m: mass of the object
h: height of the object from Earth''s surface
g: acceleration due to gravity (= 9.81 m/s2)
From the above equation, it is clear that the more massive an object is, the greater is its potential energy. Also, the potential energy increases as the height increases.
When the object is released, it accelerates downwards due to gravity. It means that gravity does work on the object to move it downwards. Since its height decreases, it loses potential energy. From the law of energy conservation, the loss in potential energy is equal to the gain in kinetic energy.
When the object reaches the surface, h = 0, P.E. = 0. It means that the gravitational potential energy of an object on Earth''s surface is zero. The work done by gravity does not depend on the path taken. Hence, potential energy is conservative.
The energy stored in an elastic material due to stretching or compressing is the elastic potential energy. When the stress is released, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy or other forms like heat.
In order to understand the equation for elastic potential energy, let us take the example of a spring. Spring is a device that can store potential energy when stressed or compressed. Suppose a spring is compressed or extended by a distance x. Then, its elastic potential energy can be determined by the following equation.
x: distance by which the spring is stretched or compressed
k: spring constant
When it is stretched or compressed, the spring stores potential energy. When it is released, the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. The spring starts to oscillate about its equilibrium position (x = 0).
The following image shows a few examples of gravitational and elastic potential energy.
The work done in moving an electric charge from one point to another in an electric field is called electric potential energy. The electric field can be generated by a point charge, conducting sphere, or capacitor. For example, a system of point charges has potential energy.
To understand the equation for electric potential energy, let us take the example of a parallel plate capacitor. Suppose a charge +q is placed inside a parallel plate capacitor, whose plates are separated by a distance d. Let E be the electric field of the capacitor. Then, the electric potential energy V can be calculated by the following equation.
q: point charge
E: electric field
d: distance of separation between the two plates of the capacitor
The following image shows the equations for potential energy.
Aside from the ones discussed above, three other types of potential energy are chemical potential energy, nuclear potential energy, and magnetic potential energy.
Example: Gravitational Potential Energy
The negative sign implies that work is not done against the Earth’s gravitational force.
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