CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY
Energy is commonly defined as the capacity to do work and is expressed in terms of joule (J). It is
stored in different forms and can be transferred from one body to another or can be transformed from
one form to another. Ex. When you touch a cold piece of ice with your finger, energy flows from your
finger to the ice.
Some of the forms of energy are radiant, thermal, mechanical, chemical and sound. These forms of
energy can be transformed into one another.
Mechanical energy is the energy that is possessed by an object due to its motion or due to its
position. Mechanical energy can be either kinetic energy (energy of motion) or potential energy
(stored energy of position).
Kinetic energy in physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its
motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated
velocity.
In mathematical equation, KE = ½ mv2 where: KE= kinetic energy
m= mass of the object v= velocity of the object.
Potential energy is the energy stored within an object, due to the object's position, arrangement, or
state. Potential energy is classified into two, gravitational potential energy and elastic potential
energy.
In mathematical equations, the gravitational potential energy is expressed as
GPE = mgh Where: m= mass of the object g = gravitational constant, 9.8m/s.
h = height of the object from the ground….
for elastic potential energy,
EPE =1/2 kx2 Where: k= spring constant, x= length of elongation/displacement of the spring
*Potential Energy (PE) is the energy stored in an object due to its position while the Kinetic Energy
(KE) of an object is the energy due to its motion. What will happen to the potential and kinetic energy
of water as it falls from the headwater or reservoir? Gains potential energy and loses kinetic energy
• Mechanical energy is the energy that is possessed by an object due to its motion or due to
its position. Mechanical energy can be either kinetic energy (energy of motion) or potential
energy (stored energy of position).
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of mechanical energy, in a closed
system in the absence of dissipative or external forces (e.g. friction, air resistance), remains constant
or unchanged. Energy in a closed system cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed
to other forms of energy. This means that potential energy can become kinetic energy, or vice versa,
but energy cannot “disappear”.
Total mechanical energy = potential energy + kinetic energy ME= PE + KE
*Based on the law of conservation of energy, what happens to the total mechanical energy of an
object as it moves down from a cliff? Remains unchanged
Benguet National High School
4th Quarter SY: 2023 - 2024
SCIENCE 9
ACTIVITY SHEET
Forms of Energy
Name: ________________________ Grade/Section: ________ Date: ________
Activity ½ Crosswise
A. Determine the type of energy, whether potential or kinetic energy or both.
1. Water in a dam/reservoir
2. A skier at the top of the mountain
3. Swinging pendulum
4. Gasoline in a storage tank
5. Water flowing from a waterfall before it hits the pond below
6. Burning a match
7. A spring in a pinball machine before it is released
8. A race car traveling at its maximum speed
9. A train on top of a hill.
10. A rolling ball
B. Briefly read and answer the given question.
A group of teenagers rode a roller coaster in an amusement park. Suppose they are now riding
down from the highest point of the roller coaster; what energy is found halfway through the roller
coaster going down?
