The total amount of potential and kinetic energy in an object is called mechanical energy. True or False
1 answer:
True: The mechanical energy is the sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy of a body
Explanation:
The mechanical energy of a body is the sum of its kinetic energy and its potential energy:
E = K + U
where
K is the kinetic energy
U is the potential energy
The kinetic energy of a body is the energy possessed by a body due to its motion, and it is given by
where
m is the mass of the body
v is its speed
The potential energy of a body can have different forms; the most common one is the gravitational potential energy (GPE), which is the energy possessed by a body due to its position in a gravitational field. Near the Earth's surface, it can be calculated as
where
m is the mass of the body
g is the acceleration of gravity
h is the height of the object above the ground
When there are no frictional forces acting on a system, the total mechanical energy of a body is conserved. An example of this is a body in free fall: as the body falls down, the gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy (because the height h decreases, while the speed v increases), however the total mechanical energy, E, remains constant.
Learn more about kinetic energy and potential energy:
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