Lecture 1

Ch1. MEASURING

Lecturer W10&11

Potential Energy and Conservation of

Energy
Definition of Energy
Definition of Energy
 Definition of Work

• Work provides a means of determining

the motion of an object when the force
applied to it is known as a function of
position.
• For example, the force exerted by a
spring varies with position:
F = -kx
k = the spring constant and
x = the displacement from equilibrium.
Definition of Work (Constant Force)

W  Fd
W  Fd cos
Definition of Work (Variable Force)

W   F ( x )dx
xf
xi
Work Energy Theorem

• Wnet is the work done by

• Fnet the net force acting on a body.
Wnet   Fnet ( x )dx
xf
xi

Wnet   Fnet dx
xf
xi

dv
  madx  m
xf xf
xi xi
dx
dt
v dx
 mv dv  mv vdv
f v f

dti i
Work Energy Theorem

• Define Kinetic Energy

Wnet  m vdv
vf
vi
K  21 mv 2
2 vf
v 
 m   21 m(v 2f  vi2 ) Then:
 2 v i • Wnet = Kf – Ki
• Wnet = DK

Wnet  21 mv 2f  21 mvi2
Recall of the Concept of Work
W  F d
W  F d cos

• Work has no direction associated with it (it is a scalar).

• However, work can still be positive or negative.

• Work done by a force is positive if the force has a component

(or is totally) in the direction of the displacement.
Conservation Forces
• A force is conservative if the work it does on a particle
that moves through a closed path is zero. Otherwise, the
force is non conservative.

 F  dr  0
• Conservative forces include: gravitational force and
restoring force of spring.

• Nonconservative forces include: friction, pushes and

pulls by a person .

Fg d
Conservation Forces
If a force is conservative, then the work it
does on a particle that moves between two
points is the same for all paths connecting
those points.

This is handy to know because it means that we can

indirectly calculate the work done along a complicated
path by calculating the work done along a simple (for
example, linear) path.
Work Done by Conservative Forces is of
Special Interest

• The work “done” in the course of a motion, is

“undone” in if you move back.
Fg d

This encourages us to define another kind of energy (as opposed to kinetic

energy) - a “stored” energy associated with conservative forces.

• We call this new type of energy potential

energy and define it as follows:
DU = – Wc
Potential Energy
Associated with the Gravitational Force
DU  W   
rf
Fds
ri
yf
DU    Fy dy
yi

Fy   mg

DU   
yf
(  mg )dy
yi

 mg 
yf
dy
yi

DU  mg ( y f  yi )  mgDy

Associated with the Spring Force

Wspringforce  12 kxi2  12 kx 2f .
So, we can deduce that for a spring force,
DU  12 kx 2f  12 kxi2
Tying Together What We Know about
Work and Energy
 DU = – Wc
• Wnet = DK

So, under the condition that there

are only conservative forces
present : Wnet = Wc

In that case, DK = – DU

DK + DU = 0
 The “Bottom Line”
• Ei = Ef
• Ki + Ui = Kf + Uf
• The “Total Mechanical Energy” of a System is
the sum of Kinetic and Potential energies. This
is what is “conserved” or constant.

u Gravitational force: U= mgh

u Restoring force of a spring: U =1/2kx2
u (KE=1/2mv2)
 An Example

A 70 kg skate boarder is moving at 8 m/s

on flat stretch of road. If the skate
boarder now encounters a hill which
makes an angle of 10o with the
horizontal, how much further up the road
will the he be able to go without
additional pushing? Ignore Friction.
 d
h
10o

KEi+Ui=KEf +Uf (only conservative forces)

so
KEi + 0 = 0+Uf (Ui=0 and KEf=0)
1/2mv2 = mgh
1/2v2 = gh
h = v2/(2g) = 82/(2*9.8) = 3.26 m
h/d = Sin 10o
d = 18.8 m
Law of Conservation of
Energy
• What you put in is
what you get out

• Total energy is
conserved
 Practical Applications
• Gasoline converts to energy which moves
the car
• A battery converts stored chemical energy
to electrical energy
• Dams convert the kinetic energy of falling
water into electrical energy
 Conservation of Mechanical
Energy
1 m = mass

mv  mgh  E
2
v = velocity

2 g = gravitational acceleration
h = height

Kinetic Potential Total

Energy Energy Energy
ILYA, did you
know that
even though
it was a
bumpy ride,
our energy
remained
constant!
Example of Conservation of
Mechanical Energy
1
mv 2  mgh  E
2

Constant
Example
Example
 Conservation of Energy Experimental

Lab Procedure
1. Place the motion detector on a flat
surface, like in the diagram to the
right
2. Toss a basketball above the
ultrasonic sensor
3. The sensor will detect the position,
velocity, and acceleration of the
ball’s flight Motion Detector

Determine which line represents:

– Kinetic energy
– Potential energy
– Total energy
The power of Niagra Falls

Height: 167 ft
Flow: 600,000 U.S. gallons per second
The power of Einstein
Kinetic energy: E = ½ mV2

Energy of matter: E = mc2

 Potential Energy and Conservation
of Mechanical Energy

CONSERVATIVE FORCES are forces that…..

•Produce only mechanical motion
•Store energy in mechanical motion

Examples are gravity and spring forces.

NON-CONSERVATIVE FORCES are forces that….

•Create energy in the form of heat, sound, or other
non-mechanical process
•Cause a transfer of energy from one system to
another

Example is friction.
Work of a conservative force can be positive or negative.

W=F*D

Dx

Dx
F F

Work of gravity is NEGATIVE. Work of gravity is POSITIVE.

Work done by a conservative force around a
closed path is zero.

This leads to an important conclusion…..

 The work done by a conservative force is
independent of the path, and depends only on the
starting and ending points.
Closed path, W=0. Pick any starting and ending points.

A
W2

W1

A W1 = WAB
W2 = WBA
W3 W 1 + W2 = 0
W1 W 1 + W3 = 0

So, all paths from B to A take the

B same amount of work.
 Conservative forces produce
“Potential Energy”

W = - DU = -(Ufinal - Uinitial)
W = FDx = -MgH
Ufinal so
MgH = (Ufinal - Uinitial)
F
Dx = H
Mgyfi - Mgyin = (Ufinal - Uinitial)

Uinitial
Gravitational Potential Energy
F U = Mgy
 Which graph of potential energy describes the
action of the force in the picture below?

To solve, this, note:

W  DU
W  FDx
DU
F 
1. Picture 1 Dx
2. Picture 2
3. Picture 3
 Work, Potential Energy, and
Mechanical Energy
W = - DU = -(Ufinal - Uinitial)

and

W = DK Work-energy theorem

So,
W – W = 0 = DK + DU

Leads to the Conservation of Mechanical Energy

E=K+U

E is CONSTANT, SO
DE = 0
Conservation of energy can simplify problem solving.

Block dropped from height H. What is

speed of block just before impact with
ground?

Ui = MgH Ki = 0

Uf = 0 Ki = ½ M v2

E = constant
E=K+U

H Initial Final
1
0  MgH  Mv 2  0
2
v 2  2 gH
v  2 gH
Path doesn’t matter!

Initial Final
1
0  MgH  Mv 2  0
2
v 2  2 gH
v  2 gH
Potential energy of a spring
If a spring is
COMPRESSED or
STRETCHED and
amount DX from its
equilibrium position, it has
a stored energy, equal
to…

U  k Dx 
1 2

This is the same value that you have for the Work done on the spring.
 Pinball shooter
An in-class problem
solving exercise.

DX
M

A spring is initially compressed by an amount DX by a mass M. The

mass is released and slides without friction. Given the spring constant
K, the compression distance, and the mass M, what is a formula for
the final velocity of the block?

How to solve:
Write down the initial potential and kinetic energy. Next write
down the final potential and kinetic energy. Set them equal
(conservation of mechanical energy). Solve for V.
 Pinball shooter: step by step

DX M
Q: Find a formula for final velocity.
V

1. Write down initial potential and kinetic energy

Initial Potential Energy: U = ½ K DX2

Initial Kinetic Energy: K = ½ M V2 = 0

2. Write down the final potential energy and kinetic energy.

3. Set the initial and final energy to be equal (conservation of energy).

4. Solve for V.
 Pinball Shooter: The final velocity of the
block is given by ……

DX M
V

GIVEN: DX, M, K, g

1. V = sqrt (2g DX)

2. V = DX sqrt (K/M)
3. V = ½ K (DX)^2
 Work done by a spring.
From point A to B, spring is pulling,
work is negative.
F
DX
C

From point C to point A, spring is

pulling, work is positive.

What is the work done BY THE SPRING? F

DX
Path #1:
1 2
W   k (4) 2   k (4) 2  k 2    k 2
1 1 1 2

2 2 2  2
Tricky part: moving
Path #2: from 4 cm to 2 cm.

W   k (2) 2  k 2  k 2   k  2

1 1 2 1 2 1 2 Compare to W=-DU
2 2 2 2 method.
Springs and gravity: potential
stored in spring.
At equilibrium,
Force of spring is equal to force of gravity.

KL = Mg

Potential energy stored in spring:

U = ½ K L2
L

M
Potential energy of mass and spring together
A different problem from the previous slide.

Since only DIFFERENCES in potential energy

matter, we can define the ZERO of potential to
be the equilibrium position of the mass, after it
stretches the spring.

Potential of mass: mgy

Potential of spring: ½ Ky2

Total: U = mgy + ½ Ky2

Pulleys: solve using energy conservation

E init = 0 (my choice of potential)

1 1
EFINAL  m1v 2  m2 v 2  m1 gh  m2 gh
2 2
0

1
m1  m2 v 2  m2  m1 gh
2

CHECK: Suppose m1 was equal to zero? What if masses are equal?

Combo problem: spring and falling body.

M Mass M drops from a height L onto a spring

loaded platform. How much does the spring
compress? Spring constant is K.

H Use conservation of energy.

Write down initial energy of mass and

spring.
L (Be sure to use an easy definition of initial
energy.)

Write down final energy of mass and spring.

This will be at point of maximum
compression, when the mass STOPS
MOVING!
 M

H How much does the spring

compress?
L

Solve this equation:

1. ½ KL^2 = MgL
2. ½ KL^2 = Mg(L+H)
3. ½ KL^2 = sqrt(MgH)