Potential Energy

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The energy stored in an object or system due to its position or configuration.

Work: Work refers to the transfer of energy from one system to another. Potential energy is one of the forms of energy that can be transferred through work.
Conservation of Energy: The law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can only change from one form to another.
Gravitational Potential Energy: GPE is the energy possessed by an object due to its position in a gravitational field.
Elastic Potential Energy: Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in an elastic object when it is stretched or compressed.
Chemical Potential Energy: Chemical potential energy is the energy stored in a substance due to its chemical composition.
Electric Potential Energy: Electric potential energy is the energy stored in an electric field due to the position of charged particles.
Nuclear Potential Energy: Nuclear potential energy is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom due to the strong nuclear force.
Kinetic Energy: Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion.
Thermal Energy: Thermal energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its temperature.
Potential Energy and Work: Potential energy can be converted into kinetic energy through work done on an object.
Potential Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion: Potential energy is an important concept in simple harmonic motion, as it is responsible for the oscillation of the system.
Potential Energy in Elastic Deformation: Potential energy can be used to calculate the amount of work done in the process of elastic deformation.
Potential Energy and Chemical Reactions: Potential energy is involved in chemical reactions, as it is responsible for the breaking and forming of chemical bonds.
Potential Energy in Nuclear Reactions: Nuclear potential energy plays a key role in nuclear reactions, as it is responsible for the release of nuclear energy.
Potential Energy in Electric Fields: Electric potential energy is a fundamental concept in the study of electric fields, as it is responsible for the attraction and repulsion of charged objects.
Potential Energy and Power: The rate at which potential energy is transferred into kinetic energy is known as power, and is an important concept in the study of energy.
Gravitational potential energy: This is the energy that an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. It arises because of the Earth's gravity, and depends on the object's mass and its height above the ground.
Elastic potential energy: This is the energy stored in an object when it is stretched, compressed, or twisted. Examples include a stretched rubber band, a compressed spring, or a twisted rope.
Chemical potential energy: This is the energy stored in the bonds between molecules. It can be released through chemical reactions, such as burning wood, or through digestion of food.
Nuclear potential energy: This is the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. It is released during nuclear reactions, such as fission or fusion.
Electric potential energy: This is the energy stored in an electric field. It arises due to the attraction or repulsion between charged particles.
Magnetic potential energy: This is the energy stored in a magnetic field. It arises due to the attraction or repulsion between magnetic poles.
Thermal potential energy: This is the energy stored in a substance due to its temperature. It arises due to the kinetic energy of its molecules.
Radiant potential energy: This is the energy carried by electromagnetic waves, such as light or radiation. It can be absorbed or emitted by matter.
Rest mass energy: This is the energy that matter possesses even when it is at rest. It arises from the equivalence of mass and energy according to Einstein's famous equation, E=mc².
- "Potential energy is the energy held by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors."
- "The term potential energy was introduced by the 19th-century Scottish engineer and physicist William Rankine, although it has links to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's concept of potentiality."
- "Common types of potential energy include the gravitational potential energy of an object, the elastic potential energy of an extended spring, and the electric potential energy of an electric charge in an electric field."
- "The unit for energy in the International System of Units (SI) is the joule, which has the symbol J."
- "Potential energy is associated with forces that act on a body in a way that the total work done by these forces on the body depends only on the initial and final positions of the body in space."
- "These forces, whose total work is path independent, are called conservative forces."
- "If the force acting on a body varies over space, then one has a force field; such a field is described by vectors at every point in space, which is in turn called a vector field."
- "A conservative vector field can be simply expressed as the gradient of a certain scalar function, called a scalar potential."
- "The term potential energy was introduced by the 19th-century Scottish engineer and physicist William Rankine, although it has links to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's concept of potentiality."
- "The energy held by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors."
- "Gravitational potential energy of an object, elastic potential energy of an extended spring, and electric potential energy of an electric charge in an electric field."
- "The joule, which has the symbol J."
- "Conservative forces."
- "A conservative vector field can be simply expressed as the gradient of a certain scalar function, called a scalar potential."
- "The total work done by these forces on the body depends only on the initial and final positions of the body in space."
- "William Rankine, a 19th-century Scottish engineer and physicist."
- "Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's concept of potentiality."
- "Factors such as the object's position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors."
- "Gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy, and electric potential energy."
- "The symbol J represents the joule, the unit for energy in the International System of Units."