Importance of Potential Energy

If we observe any phenomenon around us we will be able to appreciate that changes are produced, which take place due to the effect of some form of energy. Potential energy allows us to understand the position of any body or object within a field of forces.

The effect of gravity is part of this type of energy and the same happens with objects that are in electric fields.

Manifests ease in understanding movement in any of its manifestations

The formulation math of potential energy allows us to better understand the idea of motion in any of its forms. Thus, this form of energy is related to the movement of a subatomic particle, with the movement of planets or with the trajectory of an arrow.

The idea of ​​potential energy refers to the energy "stored" in a body, which can be mobilized. When a body is already moving, we are facing a case of kinetic energy. This implies that potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy (the term potential is used because it is an energy that is not a reality but a potentiality).

different modalities

Gravitational potential energy, as well as elastic and electric are variations of the same idea.

Everything around us is subject to a universal principle, the law of gravity. In this sense, we speak of gravitational potential energy. This energy is what a body possesses depending on its position. In others words, due to the height at which a body is with respect to a reference level. In mathematical terms, gravitational potential energy is equal to the product of the mass, acceleration, and height of an object (in the language mathematically we say that Ep= m x g x h).

If we stretch a spring and then jump it, the spring tends to recover its initial equilibrium.

This is because there is a force acting on it. The action of this force is explained through Hooke's law and this law is what allows us to explain any phenomenon of elastic potential energy.

In the case of electric forces, we speak of electric potential energy. Thus, this energy has a positive value if the charges have the same sign and has a negative value if the charges have different signs.

Fotolia image: disha1980