Question

Explain the differences between the 3 types of potential energy.

Answer 1

Potential energy is stored and can be converted into kinetic energy and often is related to some attractive or pushing forces.. There are various forms of potential energy like potentially electrical, gravitational, magnetic, chemical and elastic energy.

• The mechanical potential energy that is contained in a material or physical system configuration is basically Elastic energy,  as it is exposed to elastic deformation by the work done on it. Happens when items like rubber are impermanently compressed, stretched or typically deformed.
• The gravitational potential at a position is equivalent to the work per unit mass required to move an entity from a defined reference position to that point. For an instance, a pen that is held above a table has more gravitational potential than a pen which resides on a table. Mechanical energy minus kinetic energy is gravitational potential energy.
• The potential energy that arises from conservative Coulomb forces is electric or electrostatic in nature, and has been identified inside a given system with the configuration of a specific set of point charges.

• The chemical potential of a species is potential that can be consumed or emitted as a due to a change in the particle number of the species involved, like in a chemical reaction or transition phase.
• An object's energy which is capable of doing work because of its location in a magnetic field is called magnetic potential energy.