Sage-Tips

Does a vertical spring have gravitational potential energy?

The spring will behave the sameness way when vertical as horizontal except the equilibrium point will be shifted by g/k. The gravitational potential gets combined with the spring potential and because of the linear dependence on x it ends up in the difference between positions of vertical an so horizontal equilibria.

Does a compressed spring have gravitational potential energy?

Springs like the handspring in the figure have elastic potential energy when they are compressed.

Does a mass on a spring have gravitational potential energy?

Energy in a Mass–Spring System The mass and spring system also has gravitational potential energy (PEgravitational = mgy), but we do not have to include the gravitational potential energy term if we measure the spring length from the hanging equilibrium position.

What is the change in spring potential energy of the block spring system from when the block is released to when the block has its greatest speed?

Check Your Understanding

Object/phenomenon	Energy in joules
1 ton TNT	4.2×109
1 gallon of gasoline	1.2×108
Daily adult food intake (recommended)	1.2×107
1000-kg car at 90 km/h	3.1×105

Where is the gravitational potential energy the least?

When the planet is closest to the Sun, speed v and kinetic energy are the highest, and gravitational potential energy is the lowest. When the planet moves farther away, the speed and kinetic energy decrease, and the gravitational potential energy increases.

What is the gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy?

Gravitational potential energy is energy in an object that is held in a vertical position. Elastic potential energy is energy stored in objects that can be stretched or compressed.

How does the total energy of the block-spring system change as the block is pushed across the frictionless surface explain?

How does the total energy of the block-spring system change as the block is pushed across the frictionless surface? Elastic potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

When is the potential energy of a spring maximum?

For a spring, the potential energy is maximal when the spring is compressed and the kinetic energy is maximal when the mass passes equilibrium. We can set up a equation based on these factors.

Is work equal for both students in the gravitational field?

Recall that the sum of change in kinetic energy and change in potential energy is equal to work, which is the same for both students (work is path independent in a gravitational field). The total work for both students will be equal, and statement III will be true. The only statement that is not equal for both students is statement II.

What is the equilibrium position of a horizontal spring?

What we mean by equilibrium position is the point where the net force on the mass is zero. So for a mass on a horizontal spring, the equilibrium position is at the point where the spring is at its natural length because the spring wouldn’t be pushing to the right or the left.

How do you find the kinetic energy of a spring?

The kinetic energy of the spring is equal to its elastic potential energy, i.e. 1/2mv^2 = 1/2kx^2 when the spring is stretched some distance x from the equilibrium point and when its mass also has some velocity, v, with which it is moving.