- #1
donaldparida
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How do conservative forces exactly conserve mechanical energy while non conservative forces do not. Also why is potential energy defined only for conservative forces?
A conservative force is a type of force that does not dissipate or lose energy in a system. This means that the total mechanical energy (kinetic + potential) of the system remains constant, or is conserved, throughout the motion.
Conservative forces conserve mechanical energy by doing work on a system that can be fully recovered. For example, when a ball is thrown up in the air, gravity does work on it and converts its kinetic energy into potential energy. When the ball falls back down, the potential energy is converted back into kinetic energy, and the total mechanical energy remains constant.
Some examples of conservative forces include gravity, electrostatic force, and spring force. These forces do not dissipate energy as they do work on a system, allowing for the conservation of mechanical energy.
The conservation of mechanical energy is related to the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. The conservation of mechanical energy demonstrates this principle by showing that energy in a closed system remains constant.
Conservative forces play a crucial role in understanding and predicting the motion of objects in physics. By conserving mechanical energy, these forces allow us to make accurate calculations and predictions about the behavior of a system without having to consider energy loss due to friction or other non-conservative forces.