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Lizhi Xu, educational purposes only
Lecture 5:
Work and Mechanical Energy
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Newton’s 2nd law: In an inertial frame of reference, the vector
sum of the forces F on an object is equal to the mass m of that
object multiplied by the acceleration a of the object.
ΣF=ma
Integrate over displacement:
SI unit: work change of kinetic energy
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work change of kinetic energy
F is called conservative force if its work only depends on position and is
independent of the path.
Can define a potential energy as a function of r :
loss of potential energy work done by the
conservative force
For a closed loop, the net work done by a conservative force is zero.
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examples conservative force potential energy
gravity
elasticity
electrostatic
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loss in potential energy gain in kinetic energy
work done by non-conservative forces (path-dependent)
examples: friction / air resistance
traction of a vehicle
…
(non-conservative part)
If Σ
conservation of mechanical energy
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Example and Exercise: Roller Coaster
“Millennium Force” in Cedar Point Amusement Park, Ohio, USA
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Example and Exercise: Roller Coaster (Conservative Force)
You are riding on the “Millennium Force”. Its maximum and minimum heights are
94m and 3m, respectively. Your speed is 0 m/s at the maximum height (point A).
Neglect friction. Determine (1) your velocity at point B with a height of 64 m, and
(2) the maximum speed you can get on this ride. (g = 9.8 )
VB = 24.2 m/s (87.3 km/h) along the tangent direction of the track
vmax = 42.2 m/s (152 km/h) 80
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work:
power:
SI unit:
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Example and Exercise: Bugatti Veyron
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Example and Exercise: Non-Conservative Forces
A Bugatti Veyron with a total mass of = 1,900 (kg) is running on a straight track.
The resistance force (the sum of rolling drag from the tires and the aerodynamic
drag) follows a rule (N), where is its speed.
Determine the power needed to keep it running at its maximum speed of 113 (m/s)
(407 km/h).
P = 883 (kW) (1,184 hp, about 10 times more than a VW golf!)
Extended question: Where does the power come from? Where does it go?
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Case Study: Collision / Impact
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Case Study: Collision
before: A B
after: A B
Conservation of linear momentum:
The kinetic energy might not be conserved!
Define coefficient of restitution:
e = 1: elastic collision, the kinetic energy is conserved.
e = 0: perfectly inelastic collision, A and B stick together, max. energy dissipation.
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Case Study: Collision (center-of-mass frame)
Finding the velocity of the center of mass:
(does not change right before & after the collision)
Using the center-of-mass frame of reference, it will become much easier:
(Here, the sum of linear momentum is always zero.)
Before the collision: A
G B
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Case Study: Impact (center-of-mass frame)
Before the collision: A B
After the collision:
(independent of frame of reference)
e = 1:
A B
(elastic)
0< e <1: A B
(inelastic)
e = 0: A B
(perfectly inelastic)
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Case Study: Collision (König's theorem)
König's theorem:
: kinetic energy of the system
: kinetic energy with the center of mass ( )
: kinetic energy of the system in the center-of-mass frame of reference
(available energy, the maximum energy you can lose during collision)
(intrinsic / independent of frame of reference)
reduced mass, or effective mass
Question: how much of the is dissipated if = 1, 0.5 or 0?
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Key Points on Work and Mechanical Energy:
• The displacement-integration of Newton’s second law gives the
principles of work and kinetic energy.
• You can define a potential energy with a conservative force.
• Mechanical energy might not be conserved. Be careful with the
conditions for its conservation.
• It is convenient to study collision in the center-of-mass frame
of reference (König's theorem).
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