Tues March 23 What is Potential Energy?

Yesterday we learned about kinetic or moving energy. Today we will learn about potential energy.

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change.

There are two kinds of energy – kinetic energy when something is moving, and potential energy, which is energy that is stored and ready to be used.

All objects have potential energy or stored energy if they are placed in a certain position.

How potential energy is stored depends on whether it is chemical, electrical, or physical energy. Potential energy remains stored until the situation changes and the energy is released.

When an object is safe from being changed, it is said to be in its equal position and it has no potential energy. This is the position it has when no force is acting on it. It just sits there and does not move.

There are various kinds of potential energy but the most commonly referred to in physics are gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy.

Gravitational potential energyThis is the stored energy in an object according to its vertical position or height.

Gravity is acting on the object and this energy depends on the size of the object and the height of the object.

Two things cause the potential energy to change (increase or decrease).

The larger the object the greater the mass – and the greater the potential energy. The greater the height at which the object is above ground, the greater the potential energy.

Elastic potential energyThis is the energy stored in something that has elasticity, where the object can stretch and compress.

Balloons, rubber bands, bungees and trampolines all have elastic potential energy.

How far the object stretches determines the amount of elastic potential energy. The greater the potential stretch, the greater the amount of elastic potential energy.