INTRODUCTORY

CONCEPT
LEARNING SKILLS FROM THE
MELC

MELC: Identify and explain the factors

that affect potential and kinetic energy.
 Objectives:

1. Identify factors affecting potential energy.

2. Explain how these factors affect potential
energy.
3. Identify factors affecting kinetic energy.
4. Explain how these factors affect kinetic
energy.
K.E or P.E
Exploration PE: Factors affecting Potential Energy

Situation 1:
Pogs, Jordan and Ivo climb up the tree to get pili nuts.
When they were on top, they remember their science topic
about potential energy. The three boys argue who among
them has the greatest amount of gravitational potential
energy and what factors may affect their potential energy
if all of them are positioned at the same height as the pili
tree.So they computed their potential energy and made a
table for it.
Table 1. Computed Gravitational Potential Energy (PE) of
Pogs, Jordan and Ivo
Pili Mass (kg) Accelerat Height/ Gravitati
Climber ion Distance onal
due to from Potential
gravity the Energy
(m/s2) ground PE =
(m) mgh
(J)

Pogs 50 9.8 5 2, 450 J

Jordan 60 9.8 5 2, 940 J
Ivo 70 9.8 5 3,430 J
Guide Questions:
1. What can you say about the mass of Pogs, Jordan, and Ivo?
___________________
2. What can you say about the height or distance of Pogs, Jordan, and Ivo
from the ground?
__________________________________________________________
3. What can you say about the gravitational potential energy of Pogs, Jordan,
and Ivo?
______________________________________________________
4. Who among Pogs, Jordan, and Ivo has the greatest mass? Who has the
greatest potential energy?
_____________________________________________________
5. Referring to table 1, what do you think is the factor that affect the
gravitational potential energy of an object?
___________________________________________
6. How does this factor affect potential energy?
___________________________________________________________________
Situation 2: Four identical boxes are at different heights as shown
below. If your physics teacher asked you which of the following
boxes has the greatest amount of gravitational potential energy, what
will be your answer? And why?
___________________________________________________________
 Table 2. Computed Gravitational Potential Energy (PE) of the Boxes
Box Mass Acceleration Height/ Gravitational
(kg) due to gravity Distance from Potential Energy
(m/s2) the ground PE = mgh
(m) (J)

A 1 9.8 0 0
B 1 9.8 5 49
C 1 9.8 10 98
D 1 9.8 15 147

1. Referring to Table 2, what other factor affects potential

energy? ________________
2. How does this factor affect potential energy?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
 Exploration KE: Factors Affecting
Kinetic Energy

Situation 3: Three balls with different masses are moving at the same speed
as shown below. Given the table of its kinetic energy answer the following
questions.
 Table 3. Computed Kinetic Energy (KE) of Balls A, B,
Object Mass
and Speed
C Kinetic Energy
(kg) (m/s) (J)
KE = ½ mv2
A 1 2 2

B 3 2 6

C 6 2 12

1. What can you say about the mass of each ball? _________________________
2. What can you say about the speed of each ball? _________________________
3. Given the picture and the table, which ball possesses the greatest amount of
kinetic energy? Why do you say so?____________________________________
4. Based on the table, what is the factor that affect kinetic energy? ____________
5. How does this factor affect kinetic energy?
_________________________________________________________________
Situation 4: Ivo wants to boost his immune system. He decided to
exercise every morning. He starts jogging at a speed of 1 m/s.
Suddenly, a dog barks and runs after him. He speeds up to 3 m/s until
he reaches a speed of 5 m/s, as shown in figure 4. In which of the
following situations does Ivo possess the greatest amount of kinetic
energy? Why do you say so?________________________________
Table 4. Computed Kinetic Energy (KE) of Ivo in 3 Different Situations
Ivo Mass (kg) Speed (m/s) Kinetic Energy(J)
KE = ½ mv2
Situation A 50 1 25

Situation B 50 3 225
Situation C 50 5 625

1. What can you say about Ivo’s mass in three different situation
________________
2. What do you think is the factor that contributes to the differen
Ivo’s kinetic energy in three situations? ___________________
3. How does this factor affect kinetic energy?
____________________________________
 Potential Energy (PE) is the energy stored in a body or object by
virtue of its position. The term “potential” means that an object
with potential energy has the capacity or “potential” to do work
if released.
Exploration A focuses on the factors that affect potential energy
and how these factors affect potential energy.
In situation 1, Pogs, Jordan, and Ivo with different masses have the
same distance from the ground. Given their potential energy, Ivo
being the most massive among the three boys, also has the greatest
potential energy among others. With this, we can conclude that the
greater the mass of an object, the greater its potential energy.
 Thus, mass (m) is a factor that can affect the amount of
potential energy a body possessed. So table 2 clearly shows that as
the mass of an object is changed, the potential energy of that
the object is also changed.
If you doubled or tripled the mass, the potential energy will
also be doubled or tripled at a constant height or distance from the
ground. The relationship between the mass of an object and its
potential energy at constant height or distance from the ground can
be sum up in figure 5.
 Authentic
Venus is the second planet
from the Sun
 The next part of the activity is situation 2. You are
d to identify other factors that may affect gravitational
ntial energy aside from the mass of an object. Given the four (4)
tical boxes, meaning they all have the same mass. We can
hat mass (m) and acceleration due to gravity (g) here is
tant. So what is being changed? Yeah, right! The four boxes
e positioned at different heights, as
shown in figure 6.
 What did you observe in the box’s potential energy
as its height or distance from the ground increases?
Great! As the box has been elevated to a much higher
position, its gravitational potential energy becomes
higher. Box A has zero gravitational potential energy
with respect to its position (zero height). Therefore, we
can conclude that the height (h) or distance of the
object from the ground is a factor that affects
gravitational potential energy (PE). The relationship
between the height of an object from the ground and its
potential energy at constant mass can be sum up in
figure 6.
 To summarize the concept, Potential Energy can be in the form of
gravitational potential energy.
Gravitational Potential Energy is energy stored in an object as the result
of its height or vertical position. So the cat sitting on the table, the car hanging
on a cliff, a basket of fruits on the table, and the water on the top of the fall
possess potential energy due to its vertical position or height from a reference
point (usually from a ground or surface of the earth). Gravitational Potential
Energy (PEgrav) on Earth is directly proportional to the mass (m) and the
height (h) of an object. These relationships are expressed by the equation
below.
 The second exploration identifies the factors that
affect the kinetic energy of an object. Kinetic energy, as we
know, is energy possessed by a moving object. Hence, an
object at rest has zero kinetic energy. So, what are the
factors that may affect kinetic energy? Let’s compare the
computed KE of the three balls with different masses and
moving at the same speed. Since the speed (v) of the three
balls is held constant, you have observed in the given table,
“the greater the mass of an object, the greater its kinetic
energy. We can say that mass is a factor that affects the
kinetic energy of an object. Reducing the mass of an object
by ½, its kinetic energy (KE) will also be reduced to ½. We
can therefore say that at constant speed, the amount of KE a
body possessed is directly proportional to its mass. KE and
mass relationship can be represented in figure 7.
The last part of the activity investigated how speed (v) greatly a
an object’s kinetic energy. The computed table of Ivo’s kinetic
energy shows that a small increase in his speed greatly affects h
kinetic energy (KE).At the constant mass of an object,
as you increase the speed twice as fast as the original speed,
its KE will increase four times than the first value. Increasing
the speed four times will give you sixteen times (16x) KE!
How did this happen? Kinetic Energy (KE) is not only
directly related to speed but to the square of the
speed of an object as shown in figure 8. That is why a
small increase in speed gives a great increase in its K.E.
To summarize the concept, any object in motion has kinetic energy. So the
boy playing with the skateboard, the car driving on the road, and the water
falling possessed kinetic energy because of their motion. Kinetic Energy
(KE) is directly proportional to the mass (m) and square of the speed of
an object. The relationship is expressed in the equation below.

Have you paid attention to the unit of potential energy and kinetic
energy?
Joule(s)is the SI unit of kinetic energy and potential energy in honor of
the physicist, JAMES PRESCOTT JOULE. In fact, all energy has the
same unit, which is kg m2/s2. And 1 kg m2/s2
is equivalent to 1 Joule (J).
Let’s explore the falls of Sorsogon!
In this part of the lesson, you are going to apply what you have learned.
The pictures shown below are the different falls that can be found in the
province of Sorsogon. Analyze the three pictures and answer the questions
that follow.
 Questions:
1. How can waterfalls be used as a potential source of hydroelectric
power?
________________________________________________________
2. In which of the following waterfalls above might be used as a good
source of hydroelectric power? Why?
________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________