We still have only a very limited understanding of most aspects about the new unit. A couple of things that we learned today including the concepts of kinetic energy, potential energy and transference between them.
Base on my understanding, potential energy exists on a non-motion object, and it is the energy that the object has to the reference point. The object will have kinetic energy if it is moving whether at a constant velocity or accelerating. And finally, the two forces can transfer from one to another. For example, if a tennis ball is climbing on a inclined ramp, the kinetic energy gradually transfer into potential energy as it slows down. Once the tennis ball comes to a stop, then the kinetic energy has became the potential energy that generates by gravity.
Something intrigued me is the relationship between displacement and change of potential energy. How would the potential energy change as the object moves upwards, downward or horizontally? And how do we calculate the change of potential and kinetic energy? Also what is the relationship between the original kinetic energy of the tennis ball and the transferred potential energy? We will probably answer these questions later on in the unit.
