Potential and Kinetic Energy

What is ENERGY? Energy is the ability to do work. Everything around you has energy, but you notice it only when a change takes place. Anytime a change occurs, energy is transferred from one object to another

Energy… is NEVER created or destroyed! can only be STORED or TRANSFERRED.

What if the bowling ball is not moving? Does it still have energy? For example, a bowling ball rolls down the alley and knocks down some pins. Is energy involved? Yes! Kinetic energy. A change occurs when the pins fall over. The bowling ball causes this change, so the bowling ball has energy. What if the bowling ball is not moving? Does it still have energy? Yes! Potential energy.

How is all energy divided? Potential Energy (PE) Kinetic Energy (KE)

Potential Energy is… The energy stored in an object because of its position. It has the “potential” to cause change.

Examples of Potential Energy: A stretched rubber band.. Water at the top of a waterfall.. A drawn Bow and Arrow… Yo–Yo held in your hand..

The higher an object, the more potential energy. The more mass an object has, the more potential energy it has ….because it has the “potential” to cause more change.

Calculating PE

Potential Energy Converted to Kinetic Energy… When stored energy begins to move, the object now transfers from potential energy into kinetic energy.

Kinetic Energy Is… The energy of a moving object. "Kinetic" means movement. When stored energy is being used up, it is making things move or happen. If an object isn’t moving, it doesn’t have kinetic energy.

Kinetic energy increases as an object moves faster. For example: If you roll the bowling ball so it moves faster, what happens when it hits the pins? A faster ball causes more change to occur than a slower ball so it has more KE

The faster the object moves, the more kinetic energy is produced. For example: If a volleyball travelling at the same speed as a bowling ball is sent down the alley, does it will send pins flying as far? No! Even though the volleyball is moving at the same speed, it has less kinetic energy because is has less mass.

Calculating KE

Animated Roller Coaster An object has the MOST kinetic energy when it’s movement is the GREATEST. When an object has the LEAST potential energy, it has the MOST kinetic energy. Animated Roller Coaster