Question

Name the types of Mechanical energy.

Answer 1

Hint: The energy acquired due to the position or motion (work done) of an object is known as mechanical energy. Mechanical energy follows the conservation Law of energy. According to the Law, energy can only transfer from one form to another; it cannot be created or destroyed.

Complete step by step answer:
Mechanical energy is the sum of the potential energy and kinetic energy of the object. It is a scalar quantity. Potential energy is also known as stored energy.
Mathematically;
$E={{E}_{P}}+{{E}_{k}}$
Where,
 ${{E}_{p}}$ is potential energy
 ${{E}_{k}}$ is the kinetic energy
So the two types of mechanical energy constitute the total energy possessed by an object. One is the stored energy (potential energy) and another is the motion energy (kinetic energy) using which the work is done by an object.
Potential energy:
Energy stored by an object which is not used in performing any physical activity is known as potential energy. Potential energy is highly dependent upon the mass of the object and at what height the object is placed concerning the ground.
Mathematically,
${{E}_{P}}=mgh$
Where,
$m$ is the mass
$g$ is the acceleration due to gravity
$h$ is the height at which the object is placed from the reference point (ground)
Kinetic energy:
The energy which is used by an object to perform work is known as kinetic energy. It is dependent on the mass of the object as well as the velocity of the object by which it is performing the work.
Mathematically,
${{E}_{k}}=\dfrac{1}{2}m{{v}^{2}}$
Where,
 $v$ is the velocity with which the object is moving.

Note: A sudden interaction of two objects or compression of an object gives rise to change in the value of energies. This kind of interaction is termed as a collision in physics language. Sometimes when energy is converting from potential to kinetic energy, a small fraction of energy is converted as an energy loss (heat) which increases the temperature of the system.