But is there a quantity that could be used to rate such heights as having great potential of providing large quantities of potential energy to masses that are located there? Yes! While not discussed during the unit on gravitational potential energy, it would have been possible to introduce a quantity known as gravitational potential - the potential energy per kilogram.
So it is improper to refer to high positions within Earth's gravitational field as high potential energy positions. In this sense, gravitational potential energy depends upon at least two types of quantities: 1) Mass - a property of the object experiencing the gravitational field, andĢ) Height - the location within the gravitational field Potential energy depends upon more than just location it also depends upon mass. Observe that the 1 kg mass held at a height of 2 meters has the same potential energy as a 2 kg mass held at a height of 1 meter. A glance at the diagram at the right reveals the fallacy of such a statement. It is common to refer to high positions as high potential energy locations. An object with twice the mass would have twice the potential energy and an object with twice the height would have twice the potential energy. Gravitational potential energy depended upon object mass and object height. The amount of gravitational potential energy stored in an object depended upon the amount of mass the object possessed and the amount of height to which it was raised. When gravitational potential energy was introduced in Unit 5 of The Physics Classroom, it was defined as the energy stored in an object due to its vertical position above the Earth. An object moving downward within the gravitational field would lose gravitational potential energy. Moving an object upward against the gravitational field increases its gravitational potential energy. In this section of Lesson 1, we will introduce the concept of electric potential and relate this concept to the potential energy of a positive test charge at various locations within an electric field.Ī gravitational field exists about the Earth that exerts gravitational influences upon all masses located in the space surrounding it. Potential energy is the stored energy of position of an object and it is related to the location of the object within a field.
This motion would result in the loss of potential energy.
Both movements would be like going with nature and would occur without the need of work by an external force. On the other hand, the movement of a positive test charge in the direction of an electric field would be like a mass falling downward within Earth's gravitational field. This work would in turn increase the potential energy of the object. Both movements would be like going against nature and would require work by an external force. Moving a positive test charge against the direction of an electric field is like moving a mass upward within Earth's gravitational field.
A gravitational analogy was relied upon to explain the reasoning behind the relationship between location and potential energy. In the previous section of Lesson 1, it was reasoned that the movement of a positive test charge within an electric field is accompanied by changes in potential energy.
0 kommentar(er)
