Term | Definition |
Work | The use of force to move an object in some distance. |
Joule | Unit of measurement when multiplying force and distance |
Equation to calculate Work | Force * Distance |
Potential Energy | the energy of motion |
Kinetic Energy | stored energy, or the energy that an object has due to its position or shape |
Mechanical Energy | the energy possessed by an object due to its motion or position (The objects combined/sum of potential and kinetic energy) |
Law of Conservation of Energy | No matter how energy is transferred/transformed, all energy is still present somewhere in one form or another |
Equation to calculate Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) | Mass * Gravitational acceleration *height
aka: mgh |
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) | Potential Energy caused by gravity |
Equation to calculate Kinetic Energy | Mass * Velocity^2 / 2
aka: 1/2 mv^2 |
Equation to calculate Mechanical Energy | Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy
aka. PE + KE |
Thermal Energy | the energy that an object has due to the motion of it's molecules |
Chemical Energy | The energy stored in chemical bonds that hold chemical compounds together |
Nuclear Energy | the potential energy stored in the nucleus of an atom. |
Electromagnetic Energy | the energy associated with electrical and magnetic interactions. |
Power | the rate at which you do work |
Watt | the unit of measurement for power (light bulbs, microwave, etc) |
Horsepower | measurement unit for power; the amount of work a horse can do per minute (motors, engines, tractors, etc) |
equation to calculate power (from work) | Work / Time
aka: W/t |
equation to calculate power (from energy) | Energy / time
aka: E/t |