Potential Energy
What is potential energy?
stored energy due to position or condition
What is kinetic energy?
energy of motion
A car is driving down the road. What type of energy does it have?
kinetic
A ball begins rolling down a hill. What energy is increasing?
kinetic
Which has more kinetic energy: a moving car or the same car parked?
moving car
Name one factor that can increase gravitational potential energy.
height or mass
Name two factors that affect kinetic energy.
mass and speed
A book is sitting on a high shelf. What type of energy does it have?
gravitational potential
A skateboarder travels up a ramp and slows down. Kinetic energy is changing into what?
kinetic → potential
A ball is lifted higher into the air. What happens to its gravitational potential energy?
increases
Which has more gravitational potential energy: the same ball at 2 meters or 5 meters?
ball at 5 m
Two identical balls roll at different speeds. Which has more kinetic energy?
faster ball
A stretched rubber band has what type of stored energy?
elastic potential
A roller coaster moves down a large hill. What energy transformation occurs?
potential → kinetic
Two objects move at the same speed, but one has more mass. Which has more kinetic energy?
object with greater mass
A 10-kg object and a 5-kg object are at the same height. Which has more gravitational potential energy?
10-kg object
What happens to kinetic energy when an object's speed increases?
it increases
A roller coaster is stopped at the top of its tallest hill. Which type of energy is happening here?
gravitational potential
A ball is thrown straight upward. As it rises, what happens to its kinetic and potential energy?
kinetic decreases while potential increases
At the bottom of a roller coaster hill, would you expect kinetic or gravitational potential energy to be greater?
kinetic energy
A ball is moved from a 2-meter shelf to a 6-meter shelf. Explain why its gravitational potential energy increases.
increasing height increases gravitational potential energy
Two identical cars are moving. Car A is traveling faster than Car B. Explain which has greater kinetic energy and why.
Car A because it is moving faster.
A pendulum is at its highest point. Which energy is greatest? What about at its lowest point?
highest point: potential, lowest point: kinetic.
Describe the energy transformations that occur when you throw a ball straight up and it falls back down.
kinetic → potential on the way up, then potential → kinetic on the way down.
A roller coaster starts at the top of a hill, rolls down, and climbs another hill. Describe how kinetic and potential energy change throughout the motion.
potential is greatest at the top, kinetic increases going downhill, then kinetic decreases and potential increases while climbing the next hill