Publisher's Synopsis
The conservation of energy is one of the most important concepts in physics. It does not only apply to mechanics, but is a universal truth. This principle becomes the basis of many areas of study, and a full comprehension of the topic is essential for a broad understanding of physics. In conservative systems, we can define another form of energy, based on the configuration of the parts of the system, which we call potential energy. This quantity is related to work, and thus kinetic energy, through a simple equation. Using this relation we can finally quantify all mechanical energy, and prove the conservation of mechanical energy in conservative systems. Since mechanical energy must be conserved under conservative forces, but the kinetic energy can fluctuate based on the speed of the particles in the system, there must be an additional quantity of energy that is a property of the structure of the system. This quantity, potential energy, is denoted by the symbol U and can be easily derived from our knowledge of conservative systems. Consider a system under the action of a conservative force. When work is done on the system it must in some way change the velocity of its constituent parts, and thus change the configuration of the system. This book is a unique, useful reference to students, researchers, energy planners, environmental activists and administrators. -
