PHYS 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Gravitational Energy
Document Summary
Work was done on the green block, since a force directed upwards displaced the block upwards for a distance of 2 m. We gave it the capacity (or potential) to do work. In every day language, energy refers to the capacity to do work or activity. The definition of energy in physics is similar, it is but more precise: A system has energy whenever it has the capacity to do work. When you do work on something, you give it energy in some form. We call the energy that the block has when it is not moving and it is above the ground, gravitational potential energy. This is energy the block has because of its position. The energy associated with motion is called kinetic energy. In doing work on our block by lifting it, we gave the block gravitational potential energy (your book calls it gravitational energy).
