This is the hydrogen molecule ion, H 2 +, in which a single electron simultaneously attracts two protons. It can only be observed when a high-voltage electrical discharge is passed through hydrogen gas the blue glow one sees represents its demise as it picks up electrons and reverts to the far more stable dihydrogen molecule H 2.Ĭonsider, for example, the simplest possible molecule. But it is also extremely reactive, so it does not sit around for very long. H 2 + is energetically stable enough to exist as an identifiable entity, and thus fits the definition a molecule. Left alone, the process continues indefinitely until friction has dissipated the energy into the surroundings. In many other instances, however, the energy of an object can be seen to repeatedly alternate between potential and kinetic forms. The more you think about it, the more examples of kinetic-potential conversion you will find in everyday life. Figure: In absence of friction, the total energy remains constant At the instant it strikes the surface, the potential energy you gave supplied to the book has now been entirely converted into kinetic energy.Īnd what happens to that kinetic energy after the book stops moving? It is still there, but you can no longer see its effect it has now become dispersed as thermal kinetic energy ("heat") into the molecules of the book, the table top, and, ultimately, into the surroundings, including the air. Its newly-acquired potential energy begins to re-appear as kinetic energy as it accelerates downward at a velocity increasing by 9.8 m/sec every second (9.8 m sec –2 or 32 ft sec –2). Pick up a book and hold it above the table top you have just increased its potential energy in the force field of the earth's gravity. Kinetic and potential energy are freely interconvertible Similarly, the potential energy of a particle having an electric charge q depends on its location in an electrostatic field. For example, if an object of mass m is raised off the floor to a height h, its potential energy increases by mgh, where g is a proportionality constant known as the acceleration of gravity. Potential energy is energy a body has by virtue of its location in a force field- a gravitational, electrical, or magnetic field.This "v-squared" part is important if you double your speed, you consume four times as much fuel (glucose for the runner, gasoline or electricity for your car.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |