Science essay:What factors affect potential and kinetic energy

Many factors affect potential and kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is energy in motion, while potential energy is energy that hasn't happened yet. But what factors actually affect them? Kinetic and potential energy are affected by various factors. Let's dive into them.

Kinetic energy is the energy an object produces when moving. Due to gravity, kinetic energy is affected by the object's mass and velocity. If, say, the Hagia Sophia was hit by an earthquake, the movement that this created would be an example of kinetic energy. Its structure was designed to be lightweight and flexible, as much as it could be with its enormous size. By reducing its mass, the Hagia Sophia's creators made sure it would be able to withstand earthquakes that destroyed the buildings surrounding it. The earthquake's strength determines its velocity so, say the earthquake was 6.5 magnitude. You would multiply the Hagia Sophia's mass by the velocity caused by the earthquake. Thus you would have the kinetic energy created by the earthquake.

Potential energy is a little different. It is the energy an object has the potential to create. The energy produced is determined similarly to kinetic. It depends on the object's mass, the gravitational pull when up or down slopes, and the height of the reference point. For example, if I was standing on the side walk and a car was in a garage, the reference point would be where I stood. When the car rolls out of the garage, it transforms its potential energy to kinetic. The car is being helped by gravity to go down the driveway, but gravity is the force on an object's mass. If a car was rolled down a hill, a heavier car would roll faster because its mass would be more affected by gravity.

The differences between the two are subtle, but important. The difference is the factors. Kinetic energy can be affected by velocity, while potential energy can be affected by reference point, such as the very tip of a cliff. If a boulder was on the tip of a cliff, the wind could move it ever so slightly so that it could come crashing down. The boulder's energy is potential until it is moved so that it rolls down the hill. Then it is kinetic. It is affected by both factors of kinetic and potential energy.

In summary, kinetic energy is the energy produced by movement and potential energy is the energy that could be created by movement. While some factors remain constant for both, the distinction between the two is that kinetic energy has a factor that potential energy doesn't have; velocity. Meanwhile, potential energy can be influenced by the object's reference point.

Energy:Whats the law of conserving energy?

When I see a ball hit another one thats stationary, the one previously not moving starts rolling in the direction the ball that hit it was. But the now moving ball had no kinetic energy before it was hit. Also, the one that had previously been moving is either still or slowly stopping. Why? Well, the energy from the first ball was transferred to the other one. By doing this, it is stopped or stopping. The energy from the ball isnt gone it was only moved. If a car is going fast then suddenly brakes, it screeches and the wheels are getting hotter and hotter. What happened to the kinetic energy from the car? It was also transferred, but in a different way. The kinetic energy was transformed into the screeching noise and the heat coming off the tires. The energy isnt gone. Its only changed. A law of matter applies to this concept of conserving energy. Matter can not be created or destroyed, only changed. Energy is the same. It can change from kinetic to potential but cant go away or be destroyed. http://library.thinkquest.org/2745/data/lawce1.htm

Energy:How does potential energy become kinetic?

Energy transforms from potential energy to kinetic simple by having something act upon it. If I  picked up a marker and then threw it, its energy would be kinetic. However, when I wasn't moving it, its energy was potential. Since it wasn't moving, it would only have potential energy until something acted upon it. If noting acted upon a object like the marker that couldn't make kinetic energy, that object would never have anything but potential energy. The name of the kind of energy is self explanatory, potential energy. The potential to make energy. Heres a link explaining http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/transforming-energy/

Energy:The difference between Potential and Kinetic

The difference between Kinetic energy and Potential energy is somewhat confusing. Kinetic energy is energy in motion. If a car is driving along a road, its producing kinetic energy. A car parked in the dive way has the potential to produce energy by moving, but its not. Thus, it has potential energy. Anything moving produces kinetic energy while anything not moving has the potential to produce energy. That's the difference between the two types of energy. Here is a link http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-kinetic-energy-and-potential-energy/

Acceleration:Motion song

In the Motion Song, made by Mr. Parr, It explains many things. Specifically, all the things that are related to motion like acceleration, velocity and speed to name a few. It tells you speed is a scalar quantity and shows you a chart graphing velocity. The song explains all the components of motion I know of pretty well in my opinion. Mr Parr makes pretty good songs explaining a lot of science related thing.

heres the link to the song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9G1dhkRJ3ak
Here is a link explaining motion(Not a song):http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/motion.htm

Acceleration:How to graph it

When you are graphing acceleration, you match distance and time on the y and x axis. Distance is y usually and speed is x usually. If the object you are graphing is staying at a constant speed like 2 meters a second, the graph will be a straight line. However, if it changes speed over time, like it goes from 2 m/s to 18m/s it will be a curved graph. If you are graph an object that is decelerating, the graph will be slanting downwards instead of up. Again, the shape of the line (curved or straight) depends on if it is at a constant decreasing speed or one that is constantly changing. Here is a link to a website proving the same. http://physics.info/motion-graphs/

Acceleration, What is it?

Acceleration is changing an objects velocity over time. By combining speed and velocity, you have your acceleration. If a car was driving at 65 miles per hour and changing direction  at the same time, it is accelerating. How? Well, by changing its direction, its changing its velocity. Since acceleration is velocity over time, it changes its overall acceleration, even if tit is going the same exact speed the entire time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZo8-ihCA9E (Link explaining speed velocity and acceleration)

Scientific method

My understanding of the scientific method is that you first form a question, like why are rocks in the middle of a river rounder than the ones closer to the shore. I would go find a river and carefully examine them to see if indeed, rocks in the middle are smoother. I would then form my hypothesis that the rocks in the middle are rounder and smoother. I would test my hypothesis to see if it was correct. If it was, my hypothesis would prove that rocks in the middle of the river were smoother ad more round because of the water flowing over them constantly.