All Questions
Tagged with energy potential-energy
64
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
4
votes
0
answers
58
views
Energy in electric field of an electron?
I am just trying to get an intuition for the Griffiths equation no. 2.45, where work done to establish a field E is given by
Say we want to solve it for electric field due to an electron (point-charge)...
3
votes
2
answers
59
views
How to efficiently cool down simulated gas by time-dependent potential?
I'm trying to simulate condensation of a highly diluted gas (a model gas, not any real one). For simplicity I restrict the simulation to 2 dimensions. To setup the simulation I take some interparticle ...
- 29.1k
2
votes
2
answers
120
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Potential energy of external force
The potential energy is a property of a system, being defined only for internal conservative forces. From the work energy theorem, we have
$$W_{ext} + W_{\text{internal cons. forces}} = \Delta K $$
We ...
2
votes
1
answer
101
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Why do we only see the displacement of end points of spring while calculating it's potential energy?
I am a high school student and I am a little confused in understanding the spring potential energy formula. When we calculate the spring potential energy of a spring attached to a wall at one end and ...
2
votes
0
answers
53
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What are the "basic things" we need in physics to define any kind of energy, including "mass"?
After having commented an answer there:
Relative potential energy vs Absolute potential energy,
I realised that the energy concept may be much more subtle than what we usually believe, even if we ...
- 7,592
1
vote
1
answer
73
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Direct conversion of potential energy into heat
Is it possible for potential energy to be dissipated (converted into heat) without being first converted into kinetic energy? Put differently, are there isolated systems at complete rest which turn ...
- 163
1
vote
0
answers
77
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Force in the Casimir effect
In the Casimir effect, after performing the regularization, it is found that the zero point energy between two conducting plates in a distance $L$ from eachother is (in the 1D case),
$$E=-\frac{\hbar ...
- 97
1
vote
1
answer
46
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First principle of thermodynamics with kinetic and potential energies
Edit: Sometimes the first principle is stated as $Q+W=\Delta U\;+\Delta K\;+\Delta P$ (1). I assumed that the expression comes from the more elementary principle $Q+W_{total}=\Delta U$. On the one ...
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
155
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Is Energy stored Force?
I am currently studying the relationships between energy work and force. I am trying to conceptualize them into one concept of causality. When a force is applied work is done, and energy is ...
1
vote
0
answers
57
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Negative potential energy
In fusion of hydrogen into helium, hydrogen has negative potential energy which adds up and results in a mass defect..
Doubts:-
Why is there negative potential energy between the nucleons in a ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
106
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Question regarding a confusion in Work-Energy Theorem
Now Work-Energy Theorem is derived by considering the change in Kinetic Energy between 2 points with position vectors $\vec{r}$ and $\vec{r}+\vec{dr}$.
Now shouldn't the Kinetic Energy be ...
- 367
1
vote
2
answers
128
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I am confused about the minus signs in potential and kinetic energies
For a basic problem consisting of a ball on a loaded spring that shoots into the air I get the following energy balance:
Then I get for a point of the ball in the air:
$$\Delta KE= W = - \Delta PE.$$
...
- 2,035
1
vote
0
answers
98
views
How to find energy for bounded orbit?
I have a time-independent Hamiltonian which describes a system. How do I find the energy threshold where the orbit stops being bounded? That is when there does not exists no zero-velocity surface?
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1
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0
answers
27
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How can I find the potential energy and force between a steel sphere and a magnet?
I'm fine with certain simplifying assumptions being made, I currently only know high-school level physics (the simpler the better). Also, if anyone can explain the intuition behind formulae, I would ...
1
vote
0
answers
145
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How to calculate the total gravitational potential energy of a vertical object (do we use integration?)
Hello I was reading another question asked by zach466920, and when he was trying to calculate the total GPE of a water 'tower', he used this explanation:
He basically used integration to calculate ...
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