If we don’t consider friction what happens to the total mechanical energy as a pendulum swings
If we neglect friction, the total mechanical energy of the pendulum remains constant.
The total mechanical energy of a pendulum is the sum of its kinetic energy and potential energy. As the pendulum swings, it moves between potential energy (when it is at the highest point of its swing) and kinetic energy (when it is at the lowest point of its swing). At the highest point, the pendulum has its maximum potential energy, and at the lowest point, it has its maximum kinetic energy.
In the absence of friction or any other external forces, the total mechanical energy is conserved throughout the pendulum's motion. This means that as the pendulum swings back and forth, its potential energy and kinetic energy interchange, but the sum of these energies remains constant.
However, in real-world scenarios, there is always some amount of friction present, which causes the dissipation of energy in the form of heat. As a result, the total mechanical energy of the pendulum gradually decreases over time, causing the pendulum to eventually come to a stop.
If we neglect friction, the total mechanical energy of a pendulum remains constant as it swings back and forth. The total mechanical energy consists of two components: the kinetic energy and the potential energy.
As the pendulum swings from one extreme position to the other, it undergoes a continuous exchange between kinetic energy and potential energy. At the highest point of its swing, it has maximum potential energy and minimum kinetic energy. As it swings down towards the lowest point, potential energy decreases while kinetic energy increases. At the lowest point, potential energy is minimum (almost zero) and kinetic energy is maximum.
When the pendulum swings back towards the highest point, the process is reversed. Potential energy increases while kinetic energy decreases. As long as there is no friction, this exchange between kinetic and potential energy continues, and the sum of the two remains constant.
When we neglect the effects of friction, the total mechanical energy of a swinging pendulum remains constant. Mechanical energy is the sum of the potential energy and the kinetic energy of the system.
As a pendulum swings, it continuously converts potential energy to kinetic energy and vice versa. At the highest point of its swing (when it is momentarily stationary), the pendulum has maximum potential energy and zero kinetic energy. As it swings down, potential energy decreases while kinetic energy increases. At the bottom of the swing, the pendulum has maximum kinetic energy and minimum potential energy. This process repeats as the pendulum swings back and forth.
Since there is no friction to dissipate energy, the total mechanical energy of the pendulum remains constant throughout its motion. This conservation of energy is known as the principle of conservation of mechanical energy.
To calculate the mechanical energy of the pendulum at any point, you need to know the mass (m), the height above a reference point (h), and the velocity (v) of the pendulum at that point. The potential energy (PE) of the pendulum is given by PE = mgh, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. The kinetic energy (KE) is given by KE = 0.5mv^2. The total mechanical energy (ME) is simply the sum of the potential and kinetic energies: ME = PE + KE.
To determine how the total mechanical energy changes over time, you would need to analyze the forces acting on the pendulum, such as air resistance or friction. However, if these effects are negligible, the total mechanical energy will remain constant.