Gravitational potential energy - Revision history

Jmdonev at 02:58, 21 June 2018

2018-06-21T02:58:20Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:58, 21 June 2018
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	The [http://phet.colorado.edu/ University of Colorado] has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. Explore this simulation to see how gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy go back and forth but keep mechanical energy the same. Notice how mechanical energy can be lost and turned into thermal energy, but the total amount of [[energy]] still stays the same:		The [http://phet.colorado.edu/ University of Colorado] has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. Explore this simulation to see how gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy go back and forth but keep mechanical energy the same. Notice how mechanical energy can be lost and turned into thermal energy, but the total amount of [[energy]] still stays the same:
	<html>		<html>
	<iframe src="~~http~~://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-skate-park-basics/latest/energy-skate-park-basics_en.html" width="800" height="600"></iframe>		<iframe src="https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-skate-park-basics/latest/energy-skate-park-basics_en.html" width="800" height="600"></iframe>
	</html>		</html>
	[[Category:Uploaded]]		[[Category:Uploaded]]

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2018-05-18T22:53:08Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 22:53, 18 May 2018
(No difference)

Jmdonev at 21:25, 11 May 2018

2018-05-11T21:25:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:25, 11 May 2018
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	[[Category:~~Needs citations~~]]		[[Category:Done 2018-05-18]]
	[[~~Category~~:~~Done~~ 2015~~-06-01~~]]		[[File:Ingur_Hydroelectric_Power_Station.jpg\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Figure 1. [[Hydroelectric dam]]s like the Ingur dam, store gravitational potential energy.<ref>Wikimedia Commons. (August 31, 2015). ''Ingur Hydroelectric Facility'' [Online]. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ingur_Hydroelectric_Power_Station.jpg</ref>]]
	<onlyinclude>'''Gravitational potential energy''' is the energy possessed by masses according to their spatial arrangement and the gravitational force (one of the four [[fundamental force]]s) that pulls them towards one another. </onlyinclude>Since Earth is so large compared to the objects on it, it's easy to watch these objects being pulled (falling) towards the center of the planet, not the planet being pulled towards the object. The direction of Earth's gravitational pull is just called "down."
			<onlyinclude>'''Gravitational potential energy''' is the energy possessed by masses according to their spatial arrangement and the gravitational force (one of the four [[fundamental force]]s) that pulls them towards one another.</onlyinclude><ref name=Knight>R. D. Knight, "Work and Kinetic Energy" in ''Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach,'' 3nd ed. San Francisco, U.S.A.: Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2008, ch.11, sec.5, pp.313-315 </ref> Since Earth is so large compared to the objects on it, it's easy to watch these objects being pulled (falling) towards the center of the planet, not the planet being pulled towards the object. The direction of Earth's gravitational pull is just called "down."

	There's a simulation to play with [[potential energy]] that shows the interaction of gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy and spring energy. The simulation below shows how [[energy]] flows back and forth between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy (this is called [[mechanical energy]]).		There's a simulation to play with [[potential energy]] that shows the interaction of gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy and spring energy. The simulation below shows how [[energy]] flows back and forth between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy (this is called [[mechanical energy]]).

	Potential energy due to gravity is calculated using the following formula:		Potential energy due to gravity is calculated using the following formula:<ref name=Knight/>

	<m>E = mgh</m>		<math>E = mgh</math>

	:::*''E'' is energy, measured in joules (J)		:::*''E'' is energy, measured in joules (J)

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-08-26T21:31:09Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 21:31, 26 August 2015
(No difference)

J.williams at 16:54, 12 August 2015

2015-08-12T16:54:38Z

New page

[[Category:Needs citations]]
[[Category:Done 2015-06-01]]
<onlyinclude>'''Gravitational potential energy''' is the energy possessed by masses according to their spatial arrangement and the gravitational force (one of the four [[fundamental force]]s) that pulls them towards one another. </onlyinclude>Since Earth is so large compared to the objects on it, it's easy to watch these objects being pulled (falling) towards the center of the planet, not the planet being pulled towards the object. The direction of Earth's gravitational pull is just called "down."

There's a simulation to play with [[potential energy]] that shows the interaction of gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy and spring energy. The simulation below shows how [[energy]] flows back and forth between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy (this is called [[mechanical energy]]).

Potential energy due to gravity is calculated using the following formula:

<m>E = mgh</m>

:::*''E'' is energy, measured in joules (J)
:::*''m'' is mass, measured in kilograms (kg)
:::*''g'' is the [[acceleration due to gravity]] measured in m/s<sup>2</sup>. On the surface of Earth this is 9.81 m/s<sup>2</sup>.
:::*''h'' is the height of an object relative to where it would be if it fell, measured in metres (m)

# The more mass an object has, the more energy it stores. A 20 kg mass stores twice as much gravitational potential energy as a 10 kg mass at the same height.
# The higher up an object is, the more energy it stores. A mass 10 m above the ground stores twice as much energy as the same mass only 5 m above the ground.
# A stronger gravitational pull will also result in more gravitational potential energy. A mass 8 m above the surface of Earth stores much more gravitational potential energy than it would if it were 8 m above the moon.

'''Some forms of [[hydropower]]''' indirectly harness gravitational potential energy. The water behind a hydroelectric dam stores gravitational potential energy since it is at a higher level than the water on the other side of the dam. As the water falls, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which turns turbines to [[electricity generation|generate electricity]].

===PhET: Energy skate park===
The [http://phet.colorado.edu/ University of Colorado] has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. Explore this simulation to see how gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy go back and forth but keep mechanical energy the same. Notice how mechanical energy can be lost and turned into thermal energy, but the total amount of [[energy]] still stays the same:
<html>
<iframe src="http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/energy-skate-park-basics/latest/energy-skate-park-basics_en.html" width="800" height="600"></iframe>
</html>
[[Category:Uploaded]]