Kinetic and potential energy are the two main types of energies. Both of these energies are seen in almost everything around us. In this article, some of the most amazing facts about the two energies i.e. kinetic energy and potential energy are given.
Before getting to the facts, it is important to know what kinetic energy and potential energy are along with their formulas.
Kinetic Energy:
Kinetic energy refers to that energy which is possessed by a moving body. There can be any type of movement including rotations and vibrations. Even electricity is also a form of kinetic energy.
The formula of kinetic energy is:
| K.E. = ½ m × |
Potential Energy:
Potential energy is that energy which an object stores. In other words, potential energy is that energy which an object possesses when it is not in motion. There are two main types of potential energy which are gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. The formulas for these two are given here.
| Gravitational P.E. (U). = m × g × h
Elastic P.E.(of a spring) = ½ k × |
- Fact 1:
Both Kinetic and potential energy are scalar i.e. they only have magnitude but not fixed direction.
- Fact 2:
The unit of kinetic and potential energy is Joule. 1 Joule is equivalent to Kg•m/.
- Fact 3:
The word kinetic energy is derived from the Greek word kinesis which means motion and it can be either rotational or translational.
- Fact 4:
There are mainly 4 types of kinetic energy i.e. radiant energy, thermal energy, electrical energy and sound energy.
- Fact 5:
Types of potential energy include gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy, chemical potential energy and nuclear potential energy.
- Fact 6:
Potential energy is transformed into some other energy when the object is acted by a force.
- Fact 7:
Kinetic Energy depends upon the speed and mass of the body. If the mass is doubled, kinetic energy doubles and if the speed is doubled, the kinetic energy quadruples.
- Fact 8:
Gravitational potential energy depends upon the mass and height (above the ground) of the object. Elastic potential energy depends upon the spring constant and stretched distance.
- Fact 9:
In order for an object to gain kinetic energy, work has to be done to the object. Similarly, an object must be changed by some type of force in order to possess potential energy.
- Fact 10:
If a ball is kicked up, it first attains kinetic energy while going up. Once the ball attains its maximum height, the kinetic energy gets converted to potential energy and then again back to kinetic energy while falling.
These were some of the most interesting facts about kinetic energy and potential energy. This topic is extremely important for the students as a lot of questions are asked in the exams. The concepts of kinetic and potential energy are also important to understand numerous higher level concepts.
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