12 examples of potential energy in everyday life - StudiousGuy (2023)

Potential energy is the dormant form of energy that exists in every object. It can also be defined as the energy stored in an object due to its position, state, or composition. Potential energy can be of different types such aselectrical potential energy– potential energy in an object due to its charge;potential energy of gravity- potential energy in an object when held vertically at some height;elastic potential energy– potential energy in these objects that can be compressed and stretched;chemical potential energy– potential energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance.

Let's take the example of gravitational potential energy. As mentioned earlier, an object has gravitational potential energy when it is held vertically at a certain height. Or we can simply say that the energy present in an object because of its height is called gravitational potential energy. When an object is at a certain height, the gravitational force of the earth acts on that object to pull it to the earth's surface, hence it is called gravitational potential energy.

Gravitational potential energy in an object can be calculated as follows:

PE = mgh

Here;

• "m" is the weight of the object

• “g” is the gravitational force exerted by the earth, i.e. H. 9.8m/s^2

• "h" is the height at which the object is held.

Therefore we can say that the potential energy of gravity is directly proportional to the weight of the object and the height at which it is placed. The greater the weight of the object and the greater the height at which it is held, the greater the gravitational potential energy. The potential energy of a particle system depends only on the initial and final configuration. It is independent of the trajectory followed by the particle. For example; If an object has an initial position at ground level and an ending position at a height "h", then the potential energy is independent of the path this object follows to reach the height "h" zigzag or a straight line; As long as the altitude stays constant, the potential energy stays the same for different paths.

With all the above information about potential energy in mind, let's look at some examples of potential energy from everyday life.

1. Pendulum

Pendulums are the structures that have weight suspended from a pivot to allow them to swing easily; for example a pendulum clock. When a pendulum is held at one end, it has maximum potential energy because of its position at that point in time. But when we exit the bob, that potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. If the pendulum movement reaches the other end before returning along the same path, it will stop at the highest point for a second. In this resting phase, the kinetic energy is converted into potential energy. This process is repeated again and again until the pendulum stops. The change in energy is similar to the graph below.

2nd spring

As mentioned earlier, elastic potential energy is a form of potential energy that exists in objects that can be stretched and compressed; for example a feather. When a spring is compressed or stretched, it gains a certain amount of potential energy called elastic potential energy, while the energy required to compress the spring is called kinetic energy. When a compressed spring relaxes, the stored potential energy of the compressed spring is converted back to kinetic energy.

3. Bow and Arrow

Did you know that working with a bow and arrow applies the first law of thermodynamics, which states that “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred from one form to another”? When an archer pulls the bowstring back, a certain amount of elastic potential energy is gained through the flexible limbs of the bow. The more an archer pulls back, the more potential energy is gained from stretching through the bow limbs. When the bowstring is released, the arrow moves forward very quickly. What's happening here is that the potential energy the bow gains from stretching is quickly transferred to the arrow in the form of kinetic energy, and so it's moving forward.

4. Rocks at the edge of the cliff

A rock on the edge of a cliff has potential energy. The potential energy in this rock depends on its position. As we already know, the energy stored in an object due to its height is called gravitational potential energy; Therefore we can say that the energy present in the rock is gravitational potential energy. And when someone pushes that rock down the cliff, that same potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. So next time on your journey into the mountains, the next time you see a rock resting on the edge of a cliff, remember that it has stored some energy in the form of gravitational potential energy.

5. Foods we eat

Have you ever thought about how we are able to walk, run or do any work that requires a lot of energy? Where does this energy come from in our body to do all the work? Knowing that work requires energy, we get our energy from the food we eat. As explained earlier, there is a type of potential energy in substances called chemical kinetic energy. It is the energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance. The food we eat has some stored chemical potential energy. When food reaches our stomach, the same potential chemical energy is converted into the energy our body uses. We can say that everything made of atoms has potential energy. Interestingly, if we take two pieces of meat, one hot and one cold, that have the same weight and compare them, we will find that the hot meat has more energy compared to the cold meat because the former has some amount of extra thermal energy Has; however, the amount of potential energy remains the same.

6. Water in dams and reservoirs

The water stored in reservoirs for various purposes such as hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, flood control, human consumption, industrial use, etc. possesses a certain amount of potential energy. Because the water stored in reservoirs is dormant and not allowed to flow, the energy in it is called potential energy; because we know that potential energy is the type of energy that exists in objects at rest. When the gates of a dam open, this initially still water is immediately set in motion and the potential energy stored in the water is converted into kinetic energy.

7. Snow

Have you ever seen the snowy mountains that look so peaceful? When fresh snow falls, the snow begins to pack the mountains. The snow that is at rest contains a certain amount of potential energy. Since these mountains exist at some height, this potential energy can be classified as gravitational potential energy. When it snows, this dense snow cover breaks up, resulting in a snow avalanche. What happens in snow avalanches is that the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Therefore, the snow moves quickly down the mountain.

8. Kugel

Before a bullet is fired from the gun, it is at rest. As we now know, the energy present in an object held at rest is called potential energy. Therefore we can say that the bullets at rest in the gun contain a certain amount of energy known as potential energy. And once the bullets are fired, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

9. Roller Coaster

When a car is held on top of a roller coaster just before it is allowed to free fall, it contains a certain amount of potential energy. At the highest point of the roller coaster, the car is held still for a few seconds, the energy contained in the car due to the height and weight of the people sitting in the car is called gravitational potential energy. The more people ride on the cart, the greater the gravitational potential energy. When the wagon slides further on the track, the stored potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

10. Rubber bands

When we stretch a rubber band, it stores a certain amount of potential energy in it. Now we can easily say that elastic potential energy is stored in a stretched rubber band. As soon as the stretched band is released, it quickly returns to its original shape and the elastic potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

11. Wrecking Ball

Wreaking Ball is similar to a pendulum. When a crane swings a wrecking ball to a certain height, it starts harvesting potential energy. Like a pendulum, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, which is used to smash the buildings.

12. Schwimmer

Swimmers always stand on the diving board and stretch before jumping into the water. While the swimmers are standing on the diving board, they have a certain amount of gravitational potential energy. Once they enter the water, this gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. For this reason, when they dive, swimmers make a jump to get maximum gravitational potential energy, which is converted into kinetic energy. The greater the kinetic energy, the easier it will be to break the viscosity of the water in the pool.