WORK, ENERGY AND POWER

3
A young boy diving from the trampoline in an indoor
swimming pool hits the water at a very fast speed and
causes disturbance or waves on the water. Where does
that energy comes from? Where does that energy went
after he hits the water? (Source:
https://visitgreenland.com/)
The concept of energy is possibly the
most central in all science and engineering.
We usually associate energy in terms of fuel
for transportation, electricity, and food for
consumption. However, these notions of
energy do not truly define what energy is,
but only what it does to a physical system.
Energy is present in the Universe in various
forms; and it can only be converted from
one form to another but cannot be created
or destroyed. The concept of energy can be
applied to motion problems without
resorting to Newton’s three laws. These two
very different approach are connected
through the concept of work. All these
concepts will lead to one of the most
fundamental and far-reaching principles in
all of science, the law of conservation of
energy.

Potential energy is stored in the system as the young boy (figure at the upper left) stands on
the trampoline of an indoor swimming pool. As the boy dives on the pool, the gravitational
force does work on his body, causing his speed to increase as he hit the water. This also
indicates that body’s kinetic energy also increases as the potential energy decreases. As it hits
the water, the kinetic energy is converted into another energy form (associated with motion of
the waves).

3.1 Work

Work is the transfer of energy from one object to another, due to the application of a
force by the first object and the resulting displacement of the second object. Mathematically,
the work done by constant force on an object is:

⃗ ⃗ (3-1)

where – constant force exerted on the object;

– magnitude of the displacement or distance travelled by the object; and
– angle between the force and displacement.

The SI unit for work is in Joules (J), 1 J = 1 Nm.

Work done by a single constant force on the object is:

i. Positive - if the force has component that is in the same direction as the displacement
ii. Negative - if the force has component that is in the opposite direction as the
displacement.
iii. Zero - if the force is perpendicular to the displacement.

When several forces are acting on an object such as in Figure 3.1.b, the total work done by all
forces on the object is:

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 (3-2)

(a) (b)

Fig. 3.1. (a) A man applying a constant force on pulling a box using a rope across a rough horizontal
surface. (b) The free-body diagram showing all the forces acting on the box and the total work done on
the box by these forces as is it pushed across a distance d.

Sample Problem

A 2.50 kg box is pulled across a horizontal surface by a constant

force of 16 N that is directed parallel to the surface. The box has
moved to 3.00 m and the coefficient of kinetic friction between
the box and the surface is 0.21. (a) How much work is done by
the individual forces acting on the box? (b) What is the total work
on the box?

Solution
There are four forces acting on the box: constant force ,
kinetic friction , normal force and gravity , which are
shown in the Figure 3.2.
Fig. 3.2: The free-body diagram of
(a) The applied force is parallel to the direction of the motion, all forces acting on the 2.50 kg box.
θ=0°.

( )( )
The frictional force is always directed opposite to its motion, so θ=180°. By Newton’s
1st Law ∑ , the normal force is ( )( ) . Then,

( )( )( )
The normal force and gravity act perpendicular to the displacement of the box, θ=90°.

(b) The total work on the box by all forces acting on it:
( )

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3.2 Kinetic Energy and Work-Energy Theorem

Kinetic Energy is the energy associated with the motion of an object. It is scalar
quantity which depends on the mass, , and speed, , of the object. That is:

(3-3)

The SI unit is also in Joules (J), since 1kg(m/s)2 = 1(kg∙m/s2)∙m = 1N∙m = 1J.

The total work done on an object is related to its change in speed. Consider an object moving
along the x-axis under the action of a constant net force directed along the x-axis. From
Kinematics Equation No. 4, , and Newton’s 2nd Law, ,

( ) ( ) ( )

The terms and are the initial and final kinetic energies of the object, respectively.
Hence,

(3-4)

The equation is the mathematical statement of work-energy theorem which states that:

“When forces act on an object while it undergoes a displacement, the kinetic energy of the
object changes by an amount equal to the total work done on the object by all forces.”

When an object undergoes a displacement, the total work done on it is:

i. Positive – if the object is speeding up and kinetic energy increases.
ii. Negative – if the object is slowing down and kinetic energy decreases.
iii. Zero – if the object maintains the same speed and same kinetic energy.

However, equation (3-1) is only valid when force applied on the object is constant. For
instance, in stretching or compressing a spring, the more you stretched or compressed it, the
harder you need to pull or push, so the force is varying. According to Hooke’s Law, the force
needed to stretch or compress a spring to some length is proportional to the spring’s
elongation. The magnitude of the force is expressed as:

(3-5)

where – is the force or spring constant of the spring (SI unit: Newton per meter or N/m)
– elongation of the spring, or the stretched or compressed distance.

The work done by varying force on the spring in stretching or compressing it from position
to is:

∫ ∫ [ ]

(3-6)

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Equation (3-4) still holds for the work done by varying forces.

(a) (b)
Fig. 3.3: A spring with one end fixed was (a) stretched and (b) compressed from x 1 to x2 showing that the
force applied on the spring varies. When no force acts on the spring, it is on its equilibrium position (x=0)
where it is neither stretched nor compressed.

Sample Problem

A 1.50 kg crate moving across a horizontal surface at constant speed of 0.70 m/s is pushed up
the ramp inclined at 28° by a constant force that is parallel to the horizontal surface (Figure
3.4.a). (a) If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and incline is 0.13 and the
crate has moved 4.00 m up the inclined with, how much force is necessary to continue
pushing it at that speed? (b) How much force would be needed if the crate accelerates from
rest to 1.50 m/s at the end of 4.00 m?

Solution

The forces acting on the crate as it was pushed across the ramp are the applied force ,
frictional force , gravitational force , and the normal force , as shown on Figure 3.4.b.

Fig. 3.4: (a) Pushing the 1.50 kg crate at a constant speed across the ramp. (b) The free-body
diagram of all forces acting on the crate as is moves up the ramp at constant speed.

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 a) The angle between the applied force and the displacement is θ=28°, thus
.
The angle between the weight and the gravitational force is . Then,

( )( )( )

From ∑ , ( )( ) .But
since the normal force is always perpendicular to the direction of motion, so θ=90°.
Hence, .

On the other hand, friction acts opposite to the displacement of the crate, so θ=190°.
Hence, where . Then,
( )( )( ) .
Since the speed is constant, . Then, 

( )
b) When the crate accelerates, . By work-energy theorem,


where

( )( ) ( )( )
.
Then,
( ) ( )
( )

3.3 Gravitational and Elastic Potential Energy

Potential energy is the energy associated with the position of the object within a
physical system. It is the measure of the potential or possibility for work to be done. We will
discuss two kinds of potential energy in this chapter, the gravitational and elastic potential
energy.

Gravitational potential energy is the potential energy associated with the body’s weight
and its position above the ground.

(3-7)

where – mass of the object;

– acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/s2; and
– vertical position of the object from a reference level.

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As an object moves upward, the work done by its weight
is negative since the direction of motion is opposite to the
direction of the weight (Figure 3.5.a). On the other hand,
as the object moves downward, the work done by gravity
is positive since both the weight and the motion are in the
same direction (Figure 3.5.b). The work done by gravity
on an object is expressed as:

(3-8)

( ) ( )

Elastic potential energy is the potential energy

stored in an elastic material which resulted from
Fig. 3.5: A body moving vertically (a) upward
stretching or compressing the material from its
and (b) downward from an initial height y1 to a
equilibrium position.
final height y2, the gravitational force does
work on it and its gravitational potential energy
changes.
(3-9)

where – is the force or spring constant of the spring (SI unit: Newton per meter or N/m);
– elongation of the spring, or the stretched or compressed distance.

A body attached to an elastic material such as a spring experiences a force exerted by the
compressed or stretched spring (Figure 3.6). Hence, the spring does work on the block. By
Newton’s 3rd Law, the work done by the spring on the block is the negative of the work
done on the spring by the varying force. It is expressed as:

( )

(3-10)

(a) (b) (c)

Fig. 3.6: The spring force always act in a direction that tends to return the spring in its equilibrium position.
Negative work is done on a body attached to a (a) compressed or (b) stretched spring. (c) As the spring relaxes
from being compressed or stretched, it does a positive work on a body attached to it.

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Sample Problem

1. A 60 kg mountain climber ascends from the base of Mount Apo and reaches the summit at
an elevation of 2,954 m above the sea level in two days. On the next day, the climber
descends to a certain distance from the summit such that the change in her gravitational
potential energy is 9.25×105 J. (a) How much is the work done by gravity on the climber
as he ascends the top of Mount Apo? (b) At what point above the sea level is the position
of the climber on the third day?

Solution

(a) The change in gravitational potential energy is:

( )

( )( )( )

is positive since the potential energy increases. So, the work done by gravity on
the climber is:

The negative sign indicates that the motion is in opposite direction as the gravitational
force.
(b) The change in gravitational potential energy is negative since the potential energy
decreases. So, the position of the climber is:

( ) 

( )( )

2. An ideal vertical spring of negligible mass, with its upper end fixed on a surface, is 15.0
cm long when nothing is attached to it. The length becomes 18.5 cm when you attached a
mass of 2.90 kg to the lower end. Assume that it continues to obey Hooke’s Law. (a) How
much work is done by the spring on the attached mass? (b) If you wish to store 4.00 J of
energy in the spring, what would be its total length?

Solution

(a) The force constant should be calculated first.

The elongation distance of the spring is when the mass is
attached to it. The force exerted by the mass on the spring is equal to its weight
. Then,

( )( )


The work done by the spring on the attached mass is:

( ) ( )[ ( ) ]

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 The spring is stretched so the work done by the spring is negative.

(b) To store 4.00 J of energy, the spring should either be stretched or compressed with an
elongation distance:

( )
 √ √
( )

The length of the spring when it is stretched ( ) or when it is compressed ( ) would

be:

3.4 Energy Conservation and Non-conservative Forces

The sum of the kinetic and potential energy is the mechanical energy of the
system.

(3-11)

The total work done on an object is the sum of the work done acted by gravitational, elastic
forces and other forces ⃗ .

By work-energy theorem, the total work done on an object is equal to the change in the
kinetic energy of the object.

or (3-12)

This indicates that the work done by all forces other than the weight or elastic force is equal to
the change in the mechanical energy of the system. The implies the presence of
nonconservative forces (such as kinetic friction and fluid resistance) in the system. If
is positive, the total mechanical energy increases; if is negative, the total mechanical
energy decreases. The energy associated to these forces is called internal energy where:

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 (3-13)

This is the general form of the law of conservation of energy which states that:
“Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another.”
In any given process, the kinetic, potential, and internal energy of a system may all change,
but the sum of all those energy changes is always zero.

If the object is purely acted by conservative forces such as weight and spring force,
. The mechanical energy is constant and has the same value at all points during the
motion. Hence, conservation of mechanical energy is observed.

(3-14)

The work done by conservative forces are reversible and is independent of the path taken by
the object. In this case, there is a two-way conversion between the kinetic and potential
energy. Since the work done by conservative forces is independent of the path, it can be
expressed in terms of potential energy functions.

Sample Problem

1. A 500 g stone is placed on top of vertical spring (with its one end fixed on surface below),
compressing the spring to 12.0 cm, as shown in Figure 3.7. The force constant of the
spring is 900 N/m. (a) If the spring is released, what is the speed of the stone when the
spring reaches it equilibrium position? (b) At what height above its initial position will the
stone reached before falling back down?

Solution

Gravity and spring force are conservative forces, thus mechanical energy is conserved
.

(a) Initially, . Let the compressed position of the spring to be the reference level for
the gravitational potential energy. At the compressed position,

( )( )

The moment the spring has returned to its equilibrium position,

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 Since ,

( ) ( )( )( )
( )

(b) Gravity remains as the stone to move up

until it reaches a maximum height where it
momentarily stops. At the maximum
height,

By energy conservation, the distance

traveled by the stone is:
Fig. 3.7: Elastic potential energy is stored on
the compressed string. As the system is 
released, the stone increases its speed while
the spring returns to equilibrium. Upon
reaching equilibrium, the stone gradually loses
it kinetic energy while gaining gravitational ( )( )
potential energy until it reaches a maximum
height.

2. A block with mass 0.75 kg is forced against a horizontal spring of negligible mass,
compressing the spring a distance of 0.18 m. When released, the block moves on a
horizontal surface for 1.00 m before coming to rest. The spring constant k is 100 N/m. (a)
What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the surface? (b) What is
the speed of the block right after it leaves the spring?

Solution
The mechanical energy is not conserved since a nonconservative force (friction) is present
on the system, thus . The gravitational potential energy is constant
and need not be calculated.

(a) While the block is pushed against the spring,

( )( )

As the spring is released, the block moves along the surface and encounters friction.
By Newton’s 1st Law ∑ , the normal force is . The work done by the
friction is

The block is not attached to the spring, so the block will continue until it stops at
. The block losses all its mechanical energy.

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 Then from ,

( )  

( )( )( )

(b) The work done by the friction varies with the distance travelled. Thus, upon reaching
the equilibrium , the block is moving with its maximum speed . So,

Then from ,

( )  

( ) ( )( )( )( )
√ √

3.5 Power
Power is the time rate at which work is done or energy is transferred. When a
quantity of work is done during a time interval, the average work is defined to be

( )
⃗ ⃗ (3-15)

where – the magnitude of the force acting on a body while the body undergoes a
displacement ;
– the magnitude of the average velocity of the object during the time interval ;
– the angle between the force and average velocity.

Instantaneously, the power is

⃗ ⃗ (3-16)

The SI Unit for Power is in Watt (W), where 1 W = 1 J/s = 1 Nm/s. It is also expressed in
horsepower (hp), 1 hp = 746 W. Note that we use the mathematical definition of the scalar
product of two vectors to obtained Equation (3-15) and (3-16).

Sample Problem

An elevator of mass 900 kg is designed to ascend, at constant speed, a vertical distance of

20.0 m (five floors) in 16.0 s, and it is driven by a motor that can provide up to 30 hp to the
elevator. What is the maximum number of passengers that can ride in the elevator? Assume
that an average passenger has mass 65.0 kg.

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Solution

The motor provided a power of or ( ) to move the elevator

at a constant speed . The tension exerted by the cable on the elevator is parallel to
the direction of its motion, so θ=0. Then,
( )( )
( ) 
( )
st
The speed of the elevator is constant and by Newton’s 1 Law ∑ , the total mass of
the passengers is:
( )  ( )

If each passenger weighs , then the number of passengers inside the

elevator is:

( ) 

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 Exercise No. 3

1. A 2.50 kg box is pulled by a constant force of 16 N that is exerted at an angle 36.9° above the
horizontal. The box has moved a distance of 3.00 m along a horizontal surface whose coefficient of
kinetic friction is 0.21. (a) What is the total work done on the box? (b) What is the speed of the box
at 3.00 m if it is initially at rest?
2. Two blocks A (wA=12 N) and B (wB=20 N) are connected by very light string
that passes over a frictionless pulley (as shown in Figure 3.8). Block B rest
on top of a horizontal tabletop and has a coefficient of kinetic friction
against between of 0.15. Block A is suspended on the other end and it does
not hit the edge of the tabletop. When the system is released from rest,
block A descends to 75 cm. (a) What is the total work done on the system?
(b) Using work-energy theorem, what is the speed of each blocks as block A
descends to 75 cm?
Fig. 3.8
3. The work done on a stretching a spring it to 3.50 cm from its equilibrium
length is 14.0 J. (a) How much force is required to stretch it at that
distance? (b) If a block of mass 2.75 kg moving at 4.8 m/s hits and runs into the same spring at its
unstretched length, what is maximum compression of the spring?
4. To compress a spring 5.0 cm from its unstretched length, 18.0 J of work must be done. (a) What is
the magnitude of the force needed to stretch it to 7.5 cm? (b) How much work must be done in
stretching this spring 7.5 cm from its unstretched length?
5. An ideal spring of negligible mass with force constant of 400 N/m is placed on a frictionless horizonal
table with one end fixed at a wall next to the table. A billiard ball of mass 200 g is pushed against the
spring, compressing the spring to some distance. After the system is released, the spring returns to
equilibrium with the billiard ball leaving the table’s edge at 4.00 m/s and hits the floor 80 cm below.
Using the principle of energy conservation, (a) determine the initial compression of the spring. (b)
What is the speed of the ball when it hits the floor?
6. A pendulum is formed from a small rock with mass of 0.10 kg that is fastened to a massless string
with length 0.750 m. It is swinging so as to make a maximum angle of 45.0° with the vertical. Air
resistance is negligible. What is the tension in the string as it passes through the vertical?
7. A 2.50 kg block is pushed against a spring with negligible mass and
force constant of 450 N/m, compressing the spring to 0.230 m.
When the block is released, it moved along a frictionless, horizontal
surface and then up a frictionless incline with slope 35.0° (as shown
in Figure 3.9). (a) What is the speed of the block as it slides along
the horizontal surface after having left the spring? (b) How far does
the block travel up the incline before starting to slide back down? Fig. 3.9
8. A 62.0 kg skier starts from rest at the top of a ski slope 55.0 m
high. (a) If the frictional forces do -9.80 kJ of work on her as she descends, how fast is she going at
the bottom of the slope? (b) Now moving horizontally, the skier crosses an 85.0 m wide patch of soft
snow, where µK = 0.31. How fast is she moving after crossing the patch?
9. Your job is to lift 25.0 kg packaged boxes a vertical distance of 1.0 m from the ground onto the bed of
a delivery truck. How many packaged boxes would you have to load onto the truck in one minute for
your average output power that goes into lifting the boxes to be 0.11 hp?
10. A 65 kg mountain climber climbs through a vertical rope at a constant acceleration from rest to a
speed of 1.25 m/s in 10.0 s and feels no appreciable air resistance. How much power must the
climber imparts on the vertical rope?

Answers:

1. (a) , (b) 6.
2. (a) , (b) 7. (a) , (b)
3. (a) , (b) 8. (a) , (b)
4. (a) , (b) 9.
5. (a) , (b) 10.

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 WORK, ENERGY AND POWER

Name: ____________________________________ Section: _________________________

3
PROBLEM SET

Instructor: _________________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

1. A huge box having a mass of 6.80 kg is pulled down along a frictionless surface inclined at
42.0° below the horizontal by a constant force of 7.21 N that is parallel to the incline. The
baggage was initially at rest at the top of the ramp and is moving at 5.52 m/s when it
reaches the bottom of the ramp. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the box and the
inclined surface is 0.39. (a) How much work is done on the box by all forces acting on it?
(b) How long is the inclined surface?

2. A 2.70 kg block starts from rest and slides a distance d

down a frictionless 32.1° inclined surface (Figure 3.10).
While sliding, it comes into contact with an uncompressed
spring of negligible mass and force constant of 760 N/m. If
the height through which the block slides down the inclined
is 2.40 m, (a) find the maximum compression of the spring.
(b) What is the speed of the mass when it comes into
contact with the spring? (c) What is the initial separation
distance d between the mass and the spring?

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3. Two blocks of masses mA = 2.90 kg and mB = 6.30
kg are connected by a light string that passes over a
frictionless pulley. The block mA resting on a
frictionless horizontal tabletop is attached and forced
against a horizontal spring of negligible mass with
one end fastened on the wall (Figure 3.11) and with
force constant of 370 N/m. When the spring is
compressed to 15 cm, the system is suddenly
released. Using the principle of energy conservation, (a) what is the speed of the block m A
when the spring reaches equilibrium? (b) As block m B continues to descend, the spring is
also stretched to the right by mA. What is the maximum distance the spring will be
stretched?

4. In a water slide whose total length is 5.5 m as shown in Figure

3.12, a 30 kg child slides from the top to the end of the slide
and splashes into the water pool. The child encounters a
constant friction between his body and slide of 45.0 N. (a)
What is the speed of the child as he left the water slide? (b)
What is the speed of the child as it splashes on the pool?

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5. An elevator car has a mass of 800 kg and is carrying passengers having a combined mass
of 500 kg. As the elevator ascends, it encounters a constant frictional force of 3600 N. (a)
What must be the minimum power delivered by the motor to lift the elevator car at a
constant speed of 3.00 m/s? (b) What power must the motor deliver at the instant its
speed is 3.00 m/s if it is designed to provide an upward acceleration of 1.00 m/s 2?

65
 LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO. 3

Conservation Of Energy

I. Objectives:
1. To validate if the mechanical energy of an object is conserved.
2. To show that the kinetic energy of an object shot vertically upward is transformed into
gravitational potential energy.
3. To verify if the reverse conversion of the kinetic and gravitational potential energy
occurs when the object is dropped vertically down.
II. Introduction:
Kinetic energy KE is the energy possessed by an object in motion while potential
energy U is energy associated with the position of the object in a given system. Specifically,
the gravitational potential energy Ug is the energy associated with the object’s weight and its
height above a reference level. The sum of the object’ s kinetic energy and potential energy is
the total mechanical energy E of the system. The kinetic energy KE, the gravitational potential
energy Ug and its total mechanical energy E are expressed as follows, respectively:

(3.1)

(3.2)

(3.3)
where m is the mass of the object, v is the speed of the object, g is the acceleration due to
gravity and y is the height above a reference point.

In this experiment, the motion of a plastic ball fired vertically up by mini launcher will be
observed in terms of its energy. In the absence of friction or other non-conservative force, the
total mechanical energy of the ball is conserved all throughout its motion, from the moment it
was shot upward until it lands back on the surface. The conservation of energy is expressed by
the following equations:

(3.4)

(3.5)

(3.6)
When the ball is fired straight up from a reference level, the potential energy is zero and only
the kinetic energy contributes to the total mechanical energy of the ball at the initial position.
As the ball travels upward, the kinetic energy is gradually decreasing and is transformed into
potential energy. When the ball reaches the maximum height, it momentarily stops hence the
kinetic energy becomes zero. This implies that the kinetic energy of the ball is totally
converted into gravitational potential energy which constitute the total mechanical energy of
the ball at the final position.

The initial speed v0, the mini launcher can give to the ball is obtained by launching it
horizontally from the edge of a table above a reference level. This is done by measuring the
horizontal distance travelled x by the ball using the equation:
( ) (3.7)

where t is the time it takes the ball to reach the surface below and θ is the angle of projection.
The reverse process of energy conversion occurs when the ball falls back down towards the
surface. When the ball is dropped at a height above the ground, its gravitational potential

66
energy gradually decreases as the kinetic energy increases. The speed of the ball as it hits the
surface is obtained by measuring the time of fall and using the equation:

(3.8)

where - the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity.

III. Materials and Apparatus:

Mini Launcher, Photogate Assembly, Time-of-Flight Accessory, Pasco Smart Timer,
Meter Stick or Measuring Tape, Plastic Ball, Carbon Paper, Adhesive Tape, Plumb Bob, White
Paper, Triple Beam Balance

IV. Procedure:

(a)

(c)

(b)

Figure 3.1: (a) The plastic ball is released horizontally to determine the initial velocity of the given by the
launcher to the ball. (b) The plastic ball shot upward demonstrating the conversion of kinetic energy into
gravitational potential energy. (c) The plastic ball dropped from a given height representing the
conversion of gravitational potential into kinetic energy.

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Part A. The initial velocity of the ball
1. Clamp the mini launcher near one end of a table with the launcher aimed away from
the table and adjust the angle of projection to zero degree to launch the ball
horizontally.
2. Set the mini launcher to SHORT range. Put the plastic ball into the mini launcher. Fire
one shot to loc ate where the ball hits the floor. At this position, place the Time-of-
Flight Accessory and tape a piece of white paper above it. Tape down a piece of carbon
paper (carbon-side down) on top of the white paper so that when it hits the accessory,
it will leave a mark on the white paper.
3. Position the Photogate Assembly such that the muzzle of the launcher is aligned
between the arms of the Photogate. When the ball is fired, it passes through the arms
of the Photogate and blocks the beam to send signal to the device to start the time
measurement.
4. Attached the connector of the Photogate and the connector of the Time-of-Flight
Accessory to the input channel 1 and channel 2 of the Pasco Smart Timer, respectively.
5. Connect the power supply of the Pasco Smart Timer to the outlet. Switch on the Smart
Timer and select the Time-Measurement and Two-Gates Mode to measure the time
elapse for the ball to reach the accessory.
6. Start firing the ball from the launcher to the Time-of-Flight Accessory. Record the time
of flight displayed in the screen of the Pasco Smart Timer in Table 3.1.
7. Use a plumb bob to find the point on the floor that is directly beneath the release point
on the barrel. Measure the horizontal distance along the floor and record in Table 3.1.
8. Calculate the initial velocity using Equation (3-4).
9. Launch the ball in such orientation for five (5) trials and calculate the average initial
velocity of the ball.

Part B. The maximum height of the ball

1. Adjust the angle of the mini launcher to 90 degrees (vertically straight up).
2. Shoot the ball on the same chosen range setting for five (5) trials. Select and record
the maximum height attained by the ball in Table 3.2.
3. Determine the mass of the ball using the triple beam balance and record in Table 3.2.
4. Calculate the kinetic, gravitational potential and total mechanical energy of the ball as
at the initial and final positions using Equations (3-1), (3-2) and (3-3). Record in Table
3.2.

Part C. The velocity of the freely-falling ball as it hits the ground

1. Position the Photogate Assembly near the edge of the table in such a way that the arms
of the Photogate must be vertically aligned with the Time-of-Flight Accessory on the
floor. Adjust the Photogate Head until its vertical distance from the accessory is exactly
the maximum height obtained in Part II.
2. Repeat the procedure in Step 4 and 5 of Part I to measure the time of fall of the ball.
3. Release the ball at a point just above the Photogate so that when the ball is freely
dropped, it passes through the arms of the Photogate and blocks the beam to send
signal to the device to start the time measurement.
4. Drop the ball for five (5) trials and select the longest time displayed by the Smart
Timer.
5. Calculate the velocity of the ball as it hits the floor using Equation (3-5).
6. Repeat the procedure in Step 4 of Part II. Record your calculations in Table 3.3.
Compare this with the values obtained in Table 3.2.

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 Date Performed:
University of Science and Technology Date Received:
of Southern Philippines
Department of Physics Content (65%)
Performance (15%)
School Year 20__ to 20__ Neatness (10%)
First/Second/Summer/ Semester Promptness (10%)

Score/Rating:

Name:_____________________________________________ID No: ___________________

Section Code: _____________________________ Course & Year: _____________________
Group No: ___________Instructor’s Name & Signature: _____________________________
Leader: _____________________
Members: ___________________ ____________________ ______________________
___________________ ____________________ ______________________
___________________ ____________________ ______________________

LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO. 3

Conservation of Energy

I. Data and Results:

Part A. The initial velocity of the ball

Table 3.1: Initial Velocity of the Ball

Trial 1 2 3 4 5 Average

Time of Flight (s)

Horizontal Distance (m)

Initial Velocity (m/s)

Part B. The maximum height of the ball

Table 3.2: Conservation of Mechanical Energy for Upward Motion

Total
Velocity Kinetic Height Potential
Mechanical
(m/s) Energy (J) (m) Energy (J)
Energy (J)
Initial Position
Final Position
Change in Energy

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Part C. The velocity of the freely-falling ball as it hits the ground

Table 3.3: Conservation of Mechanical Energy for Downward Motion

Total
Velocity Kinetic Height Potential
Mechanical
(m/s) Energy (J) (m) Energy (J)
Energy (J)
Initial Position
Final Position
Change in Energy
Time of fall: _________
II. Computations:

III. Discussion of Results:

IV. Conclusion:

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V. Answers to Questions:
1. What happens to the kinetic and potential energy of the system as the ball: (a) is fired
upward? (b) falls to the ground?

2. Explain how the total mechanical energy is conserved during the: (a) upward motion?
(b) downward motion?

3. Is energy conversion reversible in all this process? Explain.

4. Does air friction/resistance affect the result obtained in both tables? Explain.

5. What are the factors that affects the accuracy of the result?

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