Question

I've seen the mechanical energy of a system defined as the sum of its kinetic and potential energies. What forms of potential energy are included in this definition? Gravitational and elastic potential energy are the ones typically featured in textbook examples but what about chemical potential energy or electrical potential energy? They don't seem to fit under the umbrella of mechanical energy.

Answer 1

Mechanical energy includes the kinetic and potential energy of a system, commonly gravitational and elastic potential energy, but typically excludes chemical and electrical potential energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concept of mechanical energy typically includes both kinetic energy and potential energy like gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. However, other forms of potential energy such as chemical potential energy and electrical potential energy are generally not classified under mechanical energy. Mechanical energy specifically refers to the energies associated with the motion and position of objects and does not typically encompass chemical or electrical forms.

For example, a charged particle may possess electric potential energy, which, when lost, is converted into kinetic energy, demonstrating the Law of Conservation of Energy. Although these forms of energy also adhere to the law, they are not usually described as mechanical energy in most physics contexts.