9

Science
Quarter 4 – Module 4:
Conservation of Mechanical
Energy

1
 What I Need to Know

In previous modules, you studied objects moving in two dimensions. These

moving objects possess momentum and experience impulses during interactions
with other objects. Not only that, but these objects also possess mechanical
energy. On their own or during interactions, there are energy transfers or
transformations.
In this module, the transformations of mechanical energy and its
conservation will be studied conceptually and mathematically as applied in many
natural events as well as in the working principles of human-made structures
such as rides and electric power plants.

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

● perform activities to demonstrate the conservation of mechanical
energy (S9FE-IVd-40);
● define and explain what is work, energy, mechanical energy and its
different types; and
● value the importance of mechanical energy in everyday life.

What I Know

Directions: Read and analyze each statement below. Choose the letter of the
best answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper/in your
notebook.

1. What is the energy of a motorcycle moving slowly at the top of a hill?

a. entirely kinetic
b. entirely potential
c. entirely gravitational
d. both kinetic and potential
2. Which event is explained in the sequence of energy changes shown in the
diagram below?

Chemical Energy → Heat → Mechanical Energy (with wasted heat)

2
 a. a headlight is on
b. a turbine spins
c. electric current powers a flat iron
d. gasoline burns to run a jeepney

3. Which energy transformation takes place in the Agus VI Hydroelectric Power

(HEP) Plant?
a. electrical energy →mechanical energy → electrical energy
b. gravitational potential energy →kinetic energy → electrical energy
c. heat →mechanical energy → electrical energy
d. nuclear energy → heat →electrical energy
4. Which event does NOT describe potential energy being changed into kinetic
energy?
a. A box sliding down a ramp.
b. A mango falling from the tree.
c. A pen spring being compressed.
d. A stretched rubber band got loosened.
5. Which event illustrates the direct transformation of potential to kinetic
energy?
a. A basketball player catches a flying ball.
b. A Kalesa moves from rest.
c. Kathy’s arrow is released from its bow.
d. The spring mechanism of a toy is rotated until it is locked.
6. Which sequence of energy transformation best describes what happens when
you switch on your battery-run radio?
a. Mechanical Energy →Electrical Energy →Sound Energy
b. Mechanical Energy →Chemical Energy →Sound Energy
c. Chemical Energy →Electrical Energy →Sound Energy
d. Chemical Energy →Mechanical Energy →Sound Energy
7. Which among the forms of energy is considered potential energy?
a. chemical energy
b. radiant energy
c. sound energy
d. thermal energy
8. Which of the following happens to a coconut that falls freely?
a. Loses potential energy and gains kinetic energy.
b. Loses both potential energy and kinetic energy.
c. Gains potential energy and loses kinetic energy.
d. Gains both potential energy and kinetic energy.
9. A torchlight fell from a watchtower. What is the potential energy of the
torchlight at the highest point compared to its kinetic energy at the lowest
point? a. lesser
b. equal
c. greater
d. not related

3
10. The potential energy of a 1-kg object on top of a hill is 18 J. What is its
velocity in m/s just before it hits the bottom of the hill?
A. 36
B. 18
C. 6
D. 3
11. What is the total mechanical energy of a swinging bungee jumper?
A. is equally divided between kinetic energy and potential energy
B. at any one instant is either all kinetic energy or all potential energy
C. can never be negative
D. is constant if only conservative forces act.
12. A bag drops some distance and gains 90 J of kinetic energy. Considering air
resistance, how much gravitational potential energy did the bag lose?
A. more than 90 J
B. exactly 90 J
C. less than 90 J
D. cannot be determined from the information given
13. What does the wind-up toy that is fully wound and at rest possesses?
A. kinetic but no potential energy
B. potential but no kinetic energy
C. both potential and kinetic energy in equal amounts
D. neither potential nor kinetic energy
14. Which case is there a decrease in gravitational potential energy? A. Amada
stretches horizontally a rubber band.
B. A car ascends a steep parking ramp.
C. Pamela’s puppy jumps down the chair.
D. Water is forced upward through a pipe.
15. A picture frame falls off the wall. Considering the presence of air, how does
the kinetic energy (K) just before striking the floor be compare to the
potential energy (P) at its hanging point? A. K is equal to P.
B. K is greater than P.
C. K is less than P.
D. It is impossible to tell.

Lesson

1 Mechanical Energy
You learned from the previous modules that a body falling freely
constantly increases its velocity. Its height, therefore, decreases quadratically
from the point of release since it is falling instantly. You’ve also learned that
mechanical energy depends on an object’s changing position and motion or the
conversion between the object’s potential energy and kinetic energy.
4
 What’s In

Directions: Figure out the words that will complete the answer to the questions
below. Write your answers in your notebook/on separate sheets of paper.
1. What happens to a ball when thrown?
It is set in m __ __ __ __ n and it m __v e__ __w__ y from the hand.
2. What happens to a sturdy wall when pushed? The wall does not move.
It s __ a __ s __ __ e r e __ __ is.
3. What do we exert on heavy objects so we can carry them? We exert f o __ __
__ on them.
4. What do people require to perform their work?
In order to do work, people require __ __ e __ g y.
Let's figure out how much you know about your answer to item number 4! Make
use of all the letters you supplied on the blanks from item numbers 1 to 3.
Arrange the jumbled letters to form a definition of your answer to item number 4
above.
E __ e __ g y __ s t __ __ c __ p __ c i __ __ t __ d __ __ o__ k.

What’s New

Directions: Study the illustrations below. Which of the following illustrates

WORK that is being done? Explain your answers in your notebook/on separate
sheets of paper.

Source: kids-body-outline.html Source: baseball-color-pages.html Source: istockphoto.com

Push-up Throwing a ball Cleaning the backyard

5
 Source: istockphoto.com Source: thingkid.com Source: stock.adobe.com

Cooking Playing Basketball Looking at the microscope

Source: itmahouston.org Source: shutterstock.com Source:stock.adobe.co

m
Playing Volleyball Pushing the wall Weightlifting

What is It
Work
When a force acts upon an object to cause a displacement of the object, it
is said that work was done upon the object. There are three key ingredients to
workforce, displacement, and cause. In order for a force to qualify as having
done work on an object, there must be a displacement and the force must cause
the displacement.

Joule
The joule is equal to the energy transferred to (or work done on) an object

motion through a distance of one meter (1 newton meter or N x m). It is named

when a force of one newton acts on that object in the direction of the force's

after the English physicist James Prescott Joule.

6
To illustrate,

A force of 20 Newtons pushing an object 5 meters in the direction of the

force does 100 joules (or Nm) of work.

This can be expressed by the equation:

W=Fxd
or for a Force acting Upwards on an object that is displaced to the right or to the
left,
W = F x d x cos θ
where “theta” (θ) is the angle between the force and the displacement.

An example is that of a waiter carrying a tray full of meals across the room
at a constant speed. Work is not done because the force supplied is upward but
the displacement of the tray is horizontal. As such, the angle (θ) between the
force and displacement is 90 degrees. Since cosine 90 degrees is O, then
regardless of the magnitude of force and displacement, work would be zero. A
vertical force can never cause a horizontal displacement; thus, a vertical force
does not do work on a horizontally displaced object. JOULE is the unit of work and
1 joule is equal to 1 Newton-meter. (1 J = 1 N x m)
Energy
Energy is the name of the game. Everything exists or ceases to exist
because of its presence or absence. It is stored in different forms and can
transfer or transform. It can be transferred without being transformed. It can also
be transformed without being transferred. It can also be transformed during
transfers.
In general, the energy acquired by objects upon which work is done is
known as mechanical energy. You have learned in Grade 8 Science that
mechanical energy falls under two categories:
1. Potential Energy- Energy in matter due to arrangements of its parts,
composition, location, and structure. It is commonly considered as stored
energy having the potential to do mechanical work. The various forms of
potential energy are gravitational, chemical, elastic, electrical, and nuclear.
Chemical, electrical and nuclear energies in general exhibit characteristics
that are electromagnetic in nature though they also have potential energy.
2. Kinetic Energy - Energy in moving matter and wave. Some forms of kinetic
energy are motion, radiant, sound, and thermal waves.

It can be recalled in Grade 8 Science that mechanical work is done when

equated to changes in the mechanical energies resulted in operational definitions
of kinetic and potential energy in the following equations:

𝑃𝐸𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ
A. Potential Energy
where
PEgrav = gravitational potential
energy m = mass of an object g =

7
 acceleration due to gravity h =
height or elevation difference

𝑃𝐸𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠 = 𝑘𝑥2 where

PEelas = elastic potential energy
k = spring constant
x = compression or extension length

B. Kinetic Energy
KE = 𝑚𝑣2 where
KE = kinetic energy m
= mass of an object v
= velocity of an object

The evidence and varied uses of the different energy forms are
everywhere. Its flow causes change through heat and work. Be it energy moving
through the food chain or an electric power plant, energy can never be created
from nothing nor can it be destroyed into nothing. Energy is simply transformed
from one form to another or transferred from one system to another. It flows
from a source (serving as an input system) into an output system during
transfers and/or transformations.
Study the next topic about the conservation of mechanical energy that is shown
below for a better understanding

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Mechanical energy is the sum of the potential and kinetic energies in a
system. The principle of the conservation of mechanical energy states that the
total mechanical energy in a system (i.e., the sum of the potential plus kinetic
energies) remains constant as long as the only forces acting are conservative
forces. We could use a circular definition and say that a conservative force is a
force that does not change the total mechanical energy, which is true but might
not shed much light on what it means.
A good way to think of conservative forces is to consider what happens on
a round trip. If the kinetic energy is the same after a round trip, the force is a
conservative force, or at least is acting as a conservative force. To observe
gravity, for example, you throw a ball straight up and it leaves to your hand with
a certain amount of kinetic energy. At the top of its path, it has no kinetic energy,
but it has potential energy equal to the kinetic energy it had when it left your
hand. When you catch it again it will have the same kinetic energy as it had
when it left your hand. All along the path, the sum of the kinetic and potential
energy is constant, and the kinetic energy at the end, when the ball is back at its
starting point, is the same as the kinetic energy at the start, so gravity is a
conservative force.
On the other hand, kinetic energy is a non-conservative force, because it
acts to reduce mechanical energy in a system. Note that non-conservative forces
do not always reduce mechanical energy. More so, non-conservative force
8
changes the mechanical energy, so a force that increases the total mechanical
energy, like the force provided by a motor or engine, is also a non-conservative
force.

Activities showing conservation of Mechanical Energy

The motion of a pendulum is a classic example of mechanical energy

conservation. A pendulum consists of a mass (known as a bob) attached by a
string to a pivot. As the pendulum moves, it sweeps out a circular arc, moving
back and forth in a periodic fashion.

Neglecting air resistance (which would indeed be small for an

aerodynamically shaped bob), there are only two forces acting upon the
pendulum bob. One force is gravity. The force of gravity acts in a downward
direction and does work upon the pendulum bob. However, gravity is an internal
force (or conservative force) and thus does not serve to change the total amount
of mechanical energy of the bob.
The other force acting upon the bob is the force of tension. Tension is an
external force and if it works upon the pendulum bob. Hence, it would indeed
serve to change the total mechanical energy of the bob. However, the force of
tension does not do work since it always acts in a direction perpendicular to the
motion of the bob. At all points in the trajectory of the pendulum bob, the angle
between the force of tension and its direction of motion is 90 degrees. Thus, the
force of tension does not function upon the bob. Since there are no external
forces doing work, the total mechanical energy of the pendulum bob is
conserved.

As the bob swings from point a to point c (on a frictionless surface), it is

accompanied by an increase in speed. As the bob loses height and Potential
Energy (PE), it gains speed and Kinetic Energy (KE), yet the total of the two forms
of mechanical energy is conserved.

9
 Notes to the
From the illustration,
Teacher tell the students that in a frictionless
surface the Total Mechanical Energy of the Pendulum is 15,000 J. If
energy is conserved, ask what values should
put inthey
the blanks.

The human body is a type of energy-conversion device. It converts food

into power, which can be used to do work. A car engine converts gasoline into
power, which can also be used to do work. A pendulum clock is a device that
uses the energy stored in hanging weights to do work. When you lift an object
higher, it gains potential energy. The higher you lift it, and the heavier it is, the
more energy it gains. For example, if you lift a bowling ball 1 inch, and drop it on
the roof of your car, it would not do much damage (please, don't try this). But if
you lift the ball 100 feet and drop it on your car, it will put a huge dent in the
roof. The same ball dropped from a greater height has much more energy. So, by
increasing the height of an object, you increase its potential energy.

What’s More

Direction: Classify whether the following has potential energy or kinetic energy.
Write the set of words in your notebook/ on separate sheets of paper.

10
1. food in your stomach
2. a compressed spring
3. a compact disc being played
4. a rubber band released from being stretched
5. gasoline in a fuel tank
6. a barbell held above a gymnast's head for 5 minutes
7. a durian fruit falling from a tree
8. a roller coaster at the peak of the hill
9. water falling from Maria Cristina Falls
10. a soccer ball flying across the school field

What I Have Learned

Directions: Classify whether the description describes potential energy (PE) or

kinetic energy (KE). Write PE or KE on a separate sheet of paper/on your
notebook.

1. Stored energy possessed by an object based on its position.

2. Energy which is stored in elastic objects as a result of stretching and
compressing.
3. Energy that is being used.
4. Vibrational, rotational and translational energy.
5. Energy waiting to be used.

What I Can Do
Directions: Analyze and illustrate the given problems. Show your mathematical
solutions and explain your answers in your notebook/on a separate sheet of
paper.

1. How much work is done when you lift an object that weighs 150 N to a height
of 5 meters?
2. A cylindrical container having a mass of 20 kg is being pushed up an inclined
plane. How much work is done on the container when it is 4 meters above
the floor?
3. How much work do you do to a 12-N rock that you carry horizontally across a
4m room?

11
 Assessment

Directions: Read and analyze the given situation. Answer the questions that
follow and write them in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

A pendulum is hanging from a point and its total mechanical energy is

10,000 J. Neglecting friction, if energy is conserved, what values should you put
in the blanks?

1. By looking at the values above, at which point/s in the pendulum' s motion do

you think it is most difficult to stop?
2. At which point/s would the pendulum be easiest to stop?
3. If friction were not present, how much total mechanical energy would the
pendulum have at:
a. point A? d. point D?
b. point B? e. point E?
c. point C?

Additional Activities

Directions: Put a checkmark ( /) in the given situation below to illustrate the

work being done. Then, briefly illustrate and explain why the work is done in
those items. Write your answers in your notebook/on a separate sheet of paper.

1. A waiter carrying a tray full of local fruits like durian, lanzones and
mangosteen above his head with one arm straight and moving across the
room at a constant speed.
2. A lady going to the second floor using the elevator.
12
3. A girl kicking a small ball that flew towards the field.
4. A vendor securing a basket of puto and bibingkang kanin items on his head.
5. A body-builder holding a heavy barbell above his head for 5 minutes.

Rubrics for illustration and explanation

Criteria 1 2 3 4
Sentence Many errors in Contains Uses correct Uses correct
structure, grammar, frequent errors grammar, grammar,
word spelling, and in grammar, spelling, spelling,
choice, punctuation spelling, and and punctuation
grammar, that punctuation punctuation throughout
spelling, make the with few errors with no errors
punctuation reader’s
comprehension
difficult
Explanation The The The The
of the answer explanation explanation is explanation is explanation is
poorly focused on the focused on the focused,
addresses the situation and situation and purposeful,
situation includes few includes and reflects
and loosely related relevant ideas clear insight
includes ideas and ideas
irrelevant ideas
Illustration of Poor Acceptable Adequate Excellent
situation interpretation interpretation interpretation interpretation
and and and and
communication communication communication communication
of thematic of thematic of thematic of thematic
concepts due to concepts concepts concepts
inappropriate
or inadequate
images or
thoughts

13