What is kineticpotential energy?

Answer 1

Kinetic and Potential energy are totally different. An object has potential energy because it has the potential to change the states of objects in the system when the energy is released. Kind of vague, but examples will help. An object on the top of a mountain has potential energy that could be used if the object falls off the mountain. As it falls it acquires velocity, which is kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. Objects can change their energy between these two types of energy. An example is a glider at 20000 feet. It has potential energy due to its height. It also has kinetic energy due to its forward speed. if the glider dives, it acquires more speed, ie, more kinetic energy while losing potential energy. In other words, potential energy is changed to kinetic energy. As it gets close to the ground, it uses its forward speed to zoom back to a higher altitude. Here kinetic energy is converted back to potential energy. Another example is Hoover dam. Water is stored at a high level. To generate electric power the water enters a pipe that routes the water down to the generators at the bottom of the dam. Potential energy of the water (from its height above ground) is changed to kinetic energy as it flows down the pipe and speeds up. When it hits the water turbine it is moving quite fast (lots of kinetic energy). The water hits the blades of the turbine and makes the blades spin, transferring the kinetic energy of the water to angular kinetic energy of the turbine. This is directly coupled to an electric generator which converts the angular kinetic energy to electrical enrgy.