Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
which will be the definition of the potential energy. The unit of potential energy is the
Joule (J).
The potential energy U can be obtained from the applied force F
and
where U(x0) is the potential energy of the system at its chosen reference configuration. It
turns out that only changes in the potential energy are important, and we are free to
assign the arbitrary value of zero to the potential energy of the system when it is in
its reference configuration.
Sometimes, the potential energy function U(x) is known. The force responsible for this
potential can then be obtained
Suppose the total energy of the ball-spring system is E. Conservation of energy tells us
Note that the amount of work done by the spring on the block after it returns to its
original position is zero.
Figure 8.1. Conversion of kinetic energy into potential energy and vice-versa.
Sample Problem 8-4
A spring of a spring gun is compressed a distance d from its relaxed state. A ball if mass
m is put in the barrel. With what speed will the ball leave the barrel once the gun is
fired ?
Suppose Ei is the mechanical energy of the system when the spring is compressed. Since
the system is initially at rest, the total energy is just the potential energy of the
compressed spring:
At the moment that the ball leaves the barrel, the spring is in its relaxed position, and its
potential energy is zero. The total energy at that point is therefore just the kinetic energy
of the moving mass:
Example Problem 1
Suppose the ball in Figure 8.1 has an initial velocity v0 and a mass m. If the spring
constant is k, what is the maximum compression of the spring ?
In the initial situation, the spring is in its relaxed position (U = 0). The total energy of the
ball-spring system is given by
The maximum compression of the spring will occur when the ball is at rest. At this point
the kinetic energy of the system is zero (K = 0) and the total energy of the system is given
by
and
where the potential energy at y = 0 is defined to be zero. Conservation of energy for the
earth-ball system now shows
This equation holds also for a ball moving in two or three dimensions. Since Fg is
perpendicular to the horizontal direction, the work done by this force on the ball is zero
for a displacement in the x and/or the z-direction. In the calculation of the change in the
gravitational potential energy of an object, only the displacement in the vertical direction
needs to be considered.
Sample Problem 8-3
A child with mass m is released from rest at the top of a curved water slide, a height h
above the level of a pool. What is the velocity of the child when she is projected into the
pool ? Assume that the slide is frictionless.
The initial energy consist only out of potential energy (since child is at rest the kinetic
energy is zero)
Ei = m g h
where we have taken the potential energy at pool level to be zero. At the bottom of the
slide, the potential energy is zero, and the final energy consist only out of kinetic energy
or
Figure 8.2. Particle on a round trip from A to B back to A, and from A to B via 2 different
routes.
WAB,1 + WBA,2 = 0
or
WAB,1 = - WBA,2
The work done by the force on each segment reverses sign if we revert the direction
WAB,2 = - WBA,2
The alternate route (route 2) consist out of a motion in the horizontal direction followed
by one in the vertical direction. For any motion in the horizontal plane, the gravitational
force is perpendicular to the displacement. The work done by the gravitational force is
therefore zero. For the motion along the vertical, the gravitational force is opposed to the
motion. The work done by the gravitational force is
The total work done by the gravitational force on the object when it is moved from A to B
via route 2 is therefore
A plot of the potential energy as function of the x-coordinate tells us a lot about the
motion of the object (see for example Figure 8.12 in Halliday, Resnick and Walker). By
differentiating U(x) we can obtain the force acting on the object
which is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of the system (work-energy theorem).
Each conservative force can be identified with a potential energy and
We can now rewrite the expression for the change in the kinetic energy of the system
The work done by the friction force is equal to the change in the mechanical energy of the
system.
The final mechanical energy of the system consist only out of the potential energy (Kf =
0)
Ef = Uf = m g (- d) = - m g d
The change in mechanical energy is
which must be equal to the work done on the bearing by the frictional force
Example Problem 2
A block whose mass is m is fired up an inclined plane (see Figure 8.5) with an initial
velocity v0. It travels a distance d up the plane, comes momentarily to rest, and then slides
back down to the bottom of the plane. What is the magnitude of the kinetic friction force
that acts on the block while it is moving ? What will the velocity be when the block
returns at its original position.
The work done by the friction force is equal to the change in the mechanical energy of the
system. The potential energy at the origin is taken to be zero. Therefore, the initial
mechanical energy of the system is just the kinetic energy of the block
When the block returns to the origin, the friction force has again done work on the block.
The total work done by the friction force on the block is now
Wf = - 2 f d
This must be equal to the change in mechanical energy of the system. When the block
returns at the origin, there is no change in its potential energy. The change in the
mechanical energy of the system is due to a change in the velocity of the block: