Potential Energy
Helpful before this lesson
- Not completed: Gravity and Universal Gravitation
- Not completed: Work and the Work-Energy Theorem
These topics can make this lesson easier, but you can start now.
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand potential energy as stored energy
- Students will calculate gravitational and elastic potential energy
- Students will recognize the connection between potential and kinetic energy
Core Concepts
- Potential energy: energy due to position or configuration
- Gravitational PE: PE = mgh
- Elastic PE: PE = ½kx² (in springs)