# 0.3 Gravity and mechanical energy  (Page 7/9)

 Page 7 / 9
$U=PE+KE$
$\begin{array}{ccc}\hfill U& =& PE+KE\hfill \\ \hfill U& =& mgh+\frac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}\hfill \end{array}$

## Conservation of mechanical energy

The Law of Conservation of Energy states:

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but is merely changed from one form into another.

Conservation of Energy

The Law of Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but is merely changed from one form into another.

So far we have looked at two types of energy: gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy. The sum of the gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy is called the mechanical energy. In a closed system, one where there are no external forces acting, the mechanical energy will remain constant. In other words, it will not change (become more or less). This is called the Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy and it states:

The total amount of mechanical energy in a closed system remains constant.

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy: The total amount of mechanical energy in a closed system remains constant.

This means that potential energy can become kinetic energy, or vise versa, but energy cannot 'dissappear'. The mechanical energy of an object moving in the Earth's gravitational field (or accelerating as a result of gravity) is constant or conserved, unless external forces, like air resistance, acts on the object.

We can now use the conservation of mechanical energy to calculate the velocity of a body in freefall and show that the velocity is independent of mass.

Show by using the law of conservation of energy that the velocity of a body in free fall is independent of its mass.

In problems involving the use of conservation of energy, the path taken by the object can be ignored. The only important quantities are the object's velocity (which gives its kinetic energy) and height above the reference point (which gives its gravitational potential energy).
In the absence of friction, mechanical energy is conserved and
${U}_{\mathrm{before}}={U}_{\mathrm{after}}$

In the presence of friction, mechanical energy is not conserved. The mechanical energy lost is equal to the work done against friction.

$\Delta U={U}_{\mathrm{before}}-{U}_{\mathrm{after}}=\mathrm{work}\mathrm{done}\mathrm{against}\mathrm{friction}$

In general, mechanical energy is conserved in the absence of external forces. Examples of external forces are: applied forces, frictional forces and air resistance.

In the presence of internal forces like the force due to gravity or the force in a spring, mechanical energy is conserved.

The following simulation covers the law of conservation of energy.
run demo

## Using the law of conservation of energy

Mechanical energy is conserved (in the absence of friction). Therefore we can say that the sum of the $PE$ and the $KE$ anywhere during the motion must be equal to the sum of the $PE$ and the $KE$ anywhere else in the motion.

We can now apply this to the example of the suitcase on the cupboard. Consider the mechanical energy of the suitcase at the top and at the bottom. We can say:

$\begin{array}{ccc}\hfill {U}_{top}& =& {U}_{bottom}\hfill \\ \hfill P{E}_{top}+K{E}_{top}& =& P{E}_{bottom}+K{E}_{bottom}\hfill \\ \hfill mgh+\frac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}& =& mgh+\frac{1}{2}m{v}^{2}\hfill \\ \hfill \left(1\right)\left(9,8\right)\left(2\right)+0& =& 0+\frac{1}{2}\left(1\right)\left({v}^{2}\right)\hfill \\ \hfill 19,6\phantom{\rule{3.33333pt}{0ex}}\mathrm{J}& =& \frac{1}{2}{v}^{2}\hfill \\ \hfill 39,2& =& {v}^{2}\hfill \\ \hfill v& =& 6,26\phantom{\rule{0.166667em}{0ex}}\mathrm{m}·{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}\hfill \end{array}$

The suitcase will strike the ground with a velocity of $6,26\phantom{\rule{2pt}{0ex}}m·s{}^{-1}$ .

where we get a research paper on Nano chemistry....?
nanopartical of organic/inorganic / physical chemistry , pdf / thesis / review
Ali
what are the products of Nano chemistry?
There are lots of products of nano chemistry... Like nano coatings.....carbon fiber.. And lots of others..
learn
Even nanotechnology is pretty much all about chemistry... Its the chemistry on quantum or atomic level
learn
da
no nanotechnology is also a part of physics and maths it requires angle formulas and some pressure regarding concepts
Bhagvanji
hey
Giriraj
Preparation and Applications of Nanomaterial for Drug Delivery
revolt
da
Application of nanotechnology in medicine
what is variations in raman spectra for nanomaterials
ya I also want to know the raman spectra
Bhagvanji
I only see partial conversation and what's the question here!
what about nanotechnology for water purification
please someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think one can use nanoparticles, specially silver nanoparticles for water treatment.
Damian
yes that's correct
Professor
I think
Professor
Nasa has use it in the 60's, copper as water purification in the moon travel.
Alexandre
nanocopper obvius
Alexandre
what is the stm
is there industrial application of fullrenes. What is the method to prepare fullrene on large scale.?
Rafiq
industrial application...? mmm I think on the medical side as drug carrier, but you should go deeper on your research, I may be wrong
Damian
How we are making nano material?
what is a peer
What is meant by 'nano scale'?
What is STMs full form?
LITNING
scanning tunneling microscope
Sahil
how nano science is used for hydrophobicity
Santosh
Do u think that Graphene and Fullrene fiber can be used to make Air Plane body structure the lightest and strongest. Rafiq
Rafiq
what is differents between GO and RGO?
Mahi
what is simplest way to understand the applications of nano robots used to detect the cancer affected cell of human body.? How this robot is carried to required site of body cell.? what will be the carrier material and how can be detected that correct delivery of drug is done Rafiq
Rafiq
if virus is killing to make ARTIFICIAL DNA OF GRAPHENE FOR KILLED THE VIRUS .THIS IS OUR ASSUMPTION
Anam
analytical skills graphene is prepared to kill any type viruses .
Anam
Any one who tell me about Preparation and application of Nanomaterial for drug Delivery
Hafiz
what is Nano technology ?
write examples of Nano molecule?
Bob
The nanotechnology is as new science, to scale nanometric
brayan
nanotechnology is the study, desing, synthesis, manipulation and application of materials and functional systems through control of matter at nanoscale
Damian
Is there any normative that regulates the use of silver nanoparticles?
what king of growth are you checking .?
Renato
What fields keep nano created devices from performing or assimulating ? Magnetic fields ? Are do they assimilate ?
why we need to study biomolecules, molecular biology in nanotechnology?
?
Kyle
yes I'm doing my masters in nanotechnology, we are being studying all these domains as well..
why?
what school?
Kyle
biomolecules are e building blocks of every organics and inorganic materials.
Joe
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