Key things that affect how we keep mechanical energy include:
Friction: This usually causes some energy to get lost. In mechanical systems, about 10-30% of the total energy turns into heat because of friction.
Air Resistance: When objects move through the air, this can make them lose about 5-15% of their energy.
Inelastic Collisions: When two objects bump into each other and don’t bounce back, some of the energy turns into sound and heat. This can lower mechanical energy by about 30-50%.
Changing Potential and Kinetic Energy: When things are perfect (ideal conditions), we can keep the total mechanical energy the same. This can be shown with the formula , where PE is potential energy and KE is kinetic energy.
Key things that affect how we keep mechanical energy include:
Friction: This usually causes some energy to get lost. In mechanical systems, about 10-30% of the total energy turns into heat because of friction.
Air Resistance: When objects move through the air, this can make them lose about 5-15% of their energy.
Inelastic Collisions: When two objects bump into each other and don’t bounce back, some of the energy turns into sound and heat. This can lower mechanical energy by about 30-50%.
Changing Potential and Kinetic Energy: When things are perfect (ideal conditions), we can keep the total mechanical energy the same. This can be shown with the formula , where PE is potential energy and KE is kinetic energy.