Physics: Conservation of Energy and Gravitational Potential Energy
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Study Notes

Energy Forms and Transformations

  • Energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed from one type to another
  • Types of energy: gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, radiant energy, chemical energy, electrical energy, nuclear energy

Gravitational Potential Energy

  • Depends on an object's height
  • Calculated by the equation: GPE = mgh (mass x acceleration due to gravity x height)

Kinetic Energy

  • Depends on an object's movement
  • Calculated by the equation: KE = 1/2 mv^2 (one half x mass x velocity squared)

Radiant Energy

  • Can travel through empty space (vacuum)
  • Comes in the form of electromagnetic radiation and gravitational radiation
  • Examples: sunlight, gamma rays, radio waves
  • Travel at the speed of light (~300,000,000 m/s in a vacuum)

Chemical Energy

  • Stored in the bonds of chemical compounds
  • Released or absorbed through chemical reactions
  • Examples: photosynthesis, batteries, hand warmers, petroleum

Electrical Energy

  • Caused by moving electric charges
  • Measured in Joules
  • Can be kinetic or potential energy
  • Examples: moving electrons in a wire, lightning, batteries

Nuclear Energy

  • Released from the nucleus of atoms
  • Through fission (splitting atoms) or fusion (combining atoms)
  • Examples: nuclear power plants, stars like the Sun

Heat Capacity

  • The minimum heat absorbed by a substance before a unit change in temperature
  • Specific heat capacity: for one gram of a substance
  • Molar heat capacity: for one mole of a substance
  • Examples: water has a high specific heat, metals have low heat capacity

Energy in Living Organisms

  • Energy is required for survival and reproduction
  • Energy from the sun is transformed into usable forms for living organisms
  • Examples: photosynthesis, cellular respiration, ATP

Vibrations and Waves

  • Repeated back-and-forth motion of a particle
  • Characterized by periodic motion
  • Examples: sound waves, light waves, ocean waves

Sound Waves

  • Vibrations that travel through a medium (solid, liquid, gas)
  • Speed of sound depends on the medium
  • Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, period, and speed are related
  • Examples: music, voice, echoes

Electromagnetic Spectrum

  • Range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation
  • Includes: radio waves, microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, gamma rays
  • Each type has a specific frequency and wavelength

Color and Light

  • Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency visible to the human eye
  • Visible spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
  • Each color has a specific frequency and wavelength

Reflection of Waves

  • Change in direction of waves when striking a surface
  • Incident ray, reflected ray, and normal line are related
  • Law of Reflection: angle of incidence equals angle of reflection

Interaction of Light with Objects

  • Opacity: blocking of light
  • Transparency: transmission of light
  • Translucency: partial transmission and bending of light
  • Examples: mirrors, glass, frosted glass

Refraction

  • Bending of waves when passing from one medium to another
  • Snell's Law: ratio of angles of incidence and refraction equal to ratio of indices of refraction
  • Examples: prisms, lenses, total internal reflection### Doppler Effect
  • When an ambulance siren is moving towards an observer, the observer perceives a higher pitch sound, and a lower pitch when it is moving away.
  • A sonic boom occurs when a sound source is traveling faster than the speed of sound, an extreme form of the Doppler effect.
  • Edwin Hubble used the Doppler effect in light emitted by distant galaxies to conclude that the universe is expanding.
  • An observer will perceive a blue shifted galaxy when it is moving towards them, and a red shifted galaxy when it is moving away.

Properties of Light

  • Properties of light include intensity (or brightness), direction, frequency (or color), and polarization.
  • Light travels in straight lines, bounces symmetrically from mirrors, and can be colored (like a laser).
  • White light contains a full rainbow inside it.

Reflection and Refraction

  • Reflection is when light bounces off a shiny, reflective surface.
  • Refraction is when light bends when moving from one medium to another.
  • The law of reflection states that the incident angle is equal to the reflected angle.
  • Refraction occurs due to density changes, causing a gradual bend in light.

Diffraction

  • Diffraction is the process by which a beam of light is spread out as it passes through an aperture or across the edge of an object.
  • Overlapping light waves create an interference pattern with light and dark areas.
  • Constructive interference occurs when peaks or troughs of two waves meet, resulting in a light area.
  • Destructive interference occurs when the peak of one wave meets the trough of another, resulting in a dark area.
  • A single slit produces a diffraction pattern with a large central maximum and alternating bands of dark and light.
  • Thinner apertures lead to more diffraction, with the pattern getting dimmer towards the edges.

Electric Power

  • Electric power represents the ability of an electric source to supply or of an electric device to consume electric energy over a specific time period.
  • Electric power is measured in watts (W), with 1 W equal to 1 joule per second.
  • Electric devices and appliances have a label showing their electric power.
  • Electric power can be calculated by multiplying current by voltage, or by multiplying current by resistance, or by dividing work done by time.

Electric Circuits

  • An electric circuit is a complete loop in which electrons from a voltage or current source flow.
  • The current in the circuit is the rate of flow of charge, measured in amps.
  • Components in a circuit, such as bulbs, sensors, and motors, act as resistors, resisting the flow of charge.
  • Resistance is voltage divided by current, so adding resistors decreases the current.

Voltage Sources

  • Voltage sources provide energy to electrons in an electric circuit.
  • Batteries are a type of voltage source that convert chemical energy into electrical energy.
  • Generators use moving magnets and electromagnetic induction to generate voltage.
  • Different types of voltage sources, such as nuclear, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, and wind power, all convert energy into electric energy.

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Learn about the concept of conservation of energy and how it is applied to gravitational potential energy. Understand how to calculate gravitational potential energy using the equation mgh.

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