The Scope of Kinetic Energy
Kinetic energy is an integral part of energy. Energy is one of the central themes in physics. It is important to know what it is and how it is harnessed. In simple terms, the energy is described as the energy of motion. It has applications in almost all branches of physics.
One of the most important applications of kinetic energy as an important tenet of physics comes from the work energy theorem. This theorem relates the change in energy of an object to the external force causing it. This means that it is possible to determine how an object is going to behave if a particular force is applied.
At a glance, many people will not realize the full meaning of the work energy theorem. An example will help to explain it further. Take the case of a car moving at a determined velocity. If you know the force of the breaks, you can easily gauge the distance the vehicle will move before stopping after you apply the brakes.
It is important to note that it does not matter what kind of motion occurs. Whether it is oscillatory, translational or any other kind of motion; all motion possesses kinetic energy. This means that all moving objects have an intrinsic energy that can be captured and transformed to other useful kinds.
A couple of factors determine the amount of energy of an object. One of these is the actual mass of the object and the other is the speed with which it is moving. If you have these two variables, then you can easily calculate the amount of energy it possesses.
Applications
Currently, kinetic energy has myriads benefits to humankind. Most of the electricity used all over the globe comes from hydroelectric dams. This is possible because of the huge amount of energy of moving water. The dams are built to increase water mass and water falls are needed to increase the speed of these waters.
As stated above, increasing water mass and water speed variables leads to increase of kinetic energy. Through a series of complicated processes, it is then transformed to electricity. Apart from that, there are also pedal powered appliances e.g. washing machines, lawn mowers and even snowplows. These are all things that employ kinetic energy.
Who can forget the emergency flashlights that you have to shake first before lighting? This is another innovative use of energy. The motion of moving the flashlight up and down is transformed into electrical power that then lights up the bulb. This same principle is used in some emergency cell phone chargers. They come in handy when disaster strike and the main power lines are down.
There are many applications of kinetic energy. The world would not be a fabulous place had it not been discovered. Even as you read this piece, there are many more applications being discovered in research and development laboratories all over the globe.
Buddy Thomas - the owner of kinetic energy
By Buddy_Thomas
Kinetic energy is an integral part of energy. Energy is one of the central themes in physics. It is important to know what it is and how it is harnessed. In simple terms, the energy is described as the energy of motion. It has applications in almost all branches of physics.
One of the most important applications of kinetic energy as an important tenet of physics comes from the work energy theorem. This theorem relates the change in energy of an object to the external force causing it. This means that it is possible to determine how an object is going to behave if a particular force is applied.
At a glance, many people will not realize the full meaning of the work energy theorem. An example will help to explain it further. Take the case of a car moving at a determined velocity. If you know the force of the breaks, you can easily gauge the distance the vehicle will move before stopping after you apply the brakes.
It is important to note that it does not matter what kind of motion occurs. Whether it is oscillatory, translational or any other kind of motion; all motion possesses kinetic energy. This means that all moving objects have an intrinsic energy that can be captured and transformed to other useful kinds.
A couple of factors determine the amount of energy of an object. One of these is the actual mass of the object and the other is the speed with which it is moving. If you have these two variables, then you can easily calculate the amount of energy it possesses.
Applications
Currently, kinetic energy has myriads benefits to humankind. Most of the electricity used all over the globe comes from hydroelectric dams. This is possible because of the huge amount of energy of moving water. The dams are built to increase water mass and water falls are needed to increase the speed of these waters.
As stated above, increasing water mass and water speed variables leads to increase of kinetic energy. Through a series of complicated processes, it is then transformed to electricity. Apart from that, there are also pedal powered appliances e.g. washing machines, lawn mowers and even snowplows. These are all things that employ kinetic energy.
Who can forget the emergency flashlights that you have to shake first before lighting? This is another innovative use of energy. The motion of moving the flashlight up and down is transformed into electrical power that then lights up the bulb. This same principle is used in some emergency cell phone chargers. They come in handy when disaster strike and the main power lines are down.
There are many applications of kinetic energy. The world would not be a fabulous place had it not been discovered. Even as you read this piece, there are many more applications being discovered in research and development laboratories all over the globe.
Buddy Thomas - the owner of kinetic energy
By Buddy_Thomas