Key Terms

conservative force

force that does work independent of path

conserved quantity

one that cannot be created or destroyed, but may be transformed between different forms of itself

energy conservation

total energy of an isolated system is constant

equilibrium point

position where the assumed conservative, net force on a particle, given by the slope of its potential energy curve, is zero

exact differential

is the total differential of a function and requires the use of partial derivatives if the function involves more than one dimension

mechanical energy

sum of the kinetic and potential energies

non-conservative force

force that does work that depends on path

non-renewable

energy source that is not renewable, but is depleted by human consumption

potential energy

function of position, energy possessed by an object relative to the system considered

potential energy diagram

graph of a particle’s potential energy as a function of position

potential energy difference

negative of the work done acting between two points in space

renewable

energy source that is replenished by natural processes, over human time scales

turning point

position where the velocity of a particle, in one-dimensional motion, changes sign