What would be the equation for the conservation of energy if you have only gravitational energy turning into only kinetic energy with no friction or other outside forces?
The conservation of energy principle states that the total energy in a closed system remains constant. In a system where only gravitational energy is converting into kinetic energy, the equation for the conservation of energy can be expressed as:
Potential Energy (PE) = Kinetic Energy (KE)
The potential energy is given by the formula:
PE = mgh
where:
m: mass of the object
g: acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²)
h: height or vertical distance
The kinetic energy is given by the formula:
KE = (1/2)mv²
where:
m: mass of the object
v: velocity of the object
Thus, the equation for the conservation of energy can be written as:
mgh = (1/2)mv²