What is the difference between kinetic energy and potential energy?

Answer 1

Kinetic energy is the energy in the movement.

Potential energy is stored energy, ready to be used.

K.E-motion energy

P.E-energy stored during displacement of springs that tend to restore to original position of spring
Kinetic energy is the energy found in every object in motion .

Gravitational Potential Energy is the enegry stored in an object because of its height. For example, the energy that water has before it goes over a waterfall. Chemical potential energy is the energy that a substance can release by undergoing a chemical reaction, for example gasoline which releases energy when it is burned. Mechanical potential energy would be the kind stored in a compressed spring. Radioactive materials such as uranium have nuclear potential energy.
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion.. while something is moving.. and potential energy is the energy being stored up for the object TO move.

A ball rolling has kinetic energy... when you pull back a spoon to throw food at someone, when you pull back and hold it there, it has potential energy (potential to be kinetic, that is)
Potential energy is the capacity for doing work that a body possesses because of itsposition or condition. While kinetic energy is energy a body possesses because it is in motion.
kinetic energy is moving energy or energy used in preforming an action.

potiental energy is sitting energy or energy that is being saved up.

potential- when energy is stored.

kinetic- when energy is moving

Potential energy is stored energy, when building up to it's highest point the energy is released as kinetic energy. For example potential energy is the energy gathered when moving slowly up an amusement park ride, when you reach the top the potential energy reaches it's limit and is realeased as kinetic energy when you rocket downwards.

Answer 2

Potential energy is the capacity for doing work that a body possesses because of itsposition or condition. While kinetic energy is energy a body possesses because it is in motion.
the difference between potential and kinetic energy is that potential energy is very still, there's basically no motion but there's still energy. Kinetic energy has to do with motion or something that's moving basically anything that has to do with motion and a lot of energy.

Objects have kinetic energy because they are moving. The faster it's moving, the more kinetic energy it has. Potential energy is stored energy. A rubber band, for example, has elastic potential energy when stretched. If you hold a pencil in the air, it has gravitational potential energy, which will turn into kinetic energy if you drop it.
Kinetic and Potential Energy

History

A roller coaster train going down hill represents merely a complex case as a body is descending an inclined plane. Newton's first two laws relate force and acceleration, which are key concepts in roller coaster physics. At amusement parks, Newton's laws can be applied to every ride. These rides range from 'The Swings' to The 'Hammer'. Newton was also one of the developers of calculus which is essential to analyzing falling bodies constrained on more complex paths than inclined planes. A roller coaster rider is in an gravitational field except with the Principle of Equivalence.

Potential Energy

Potential energy is the same as stored energy. The "stored" energy is held within the gravitational field. When you lift a heavy object you exert energy which later will become kinetic energy when the object is dropped. A lift motor from a roller coaster exerts potential energy when lifting the train to the top of the hill. The higher the train is lifted by the motor the more potential energy is produced; thus, forming a greater amount if kinetic energy when the train is dropped. At the top of the hills the train has a huge amount of potential energy, but it has very little kinetic energy.

Kinetic Energy

The word "kinetic" is derived from the Greek word meaning to move, and the word "energy" is the ability to move. Thus, "kinetic energy" is the energy of motion --it's ability to do work. The faster the body moves the more kinetic energy is produced. The greater the mass and speed of an object the more kinetic energy there will be. As the train accelerates down the hill the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. There is very little potential energy at the bottom of the hill, but there is a great amount of kinetic energy.

Theory

When the train is at the top and bottom of the hill there is not any potential or kinetic energy being used at all. The train at the bottom of the first drop should have enough energy to get back up the height of the lift hill. The "Act of Faith" in riding these amazing rides which seems more of a phenomena that is only a theory. In practices, the train never could make it back up the hill because of dissipative forces. Friction and air resistance, and even possible mid-course breaks, are dissipative forces causing the theory to be changed but not destroyed. These forces make it impossible for the train to have enough energy to make it back up the lift hill's height. In the absence of the dissipative forces the potential and kinetic energies(mechanical energy) will remain the same. Since the mechanical energy is destroyed by the forces, the first hill is always the highest

Answer 3

Kinetic energy is related to movement (a faster object has more kinetic energy); potential energy is related to position (higher up, objects have more potential energy).

Examples:

A leopard waiting in a tree, motionless, waiting to jump on you has potential energy.

A leopard leaping on you has kinetic energy, or energy of movement.
Kinetic energy is the energy that an object has when it is in motion. Potential energy is the energy that an object has when it is at rest. For example, a book sitting on a desk has maximum potential energy and zero kinetic energy. If the book falls off of the desk, then its kinetic energy increases and its potential energy decreases.

Answer 4

Potential energy is energy that is stored. Kinetic energy is energy that is released.

Kinetic energy comes from the energy that is stored in potential energy and then released to become kinetic energy.

Kinetic energy is moving energy, or the energy possessed by an object in motion.

Potential energy is the the energy possessed by an object that may be converted into another form of energy or work.