Continuing the series of student misconceptions that have been reported by the physics education research community, this post is about work and energy. Energy is an abstract concept. It cannot be seen, but the effect can be observed in everyday life. It is an idea that is readily accepted when one is first introduced toContinue reading “Student misconceptions about work and energy”
Category Archives: Work
Energy and systems
When I first learned about energy, I was introduced to different forms of energy, such as kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, chemical energy, heat energy, light, etc. I also learned about one of the important conservation laws – the conservation of energy.I did not consider energy conservation from the systems point of view. Perhaps itContinue reading “Energy and systems”
“On” and “by”
In describing forces, one needs to take note of the “on” and “by”. We need to mention the object the force exerts on and the agent that exerts the force. For example, the weight of the block is the gravitational force by the Earth on the block. Note: If you prefer gravitational force on the block by the Earth, that is fine too!Continue reading ““On” and “by””
Problem solving involving kinematics, forces, and work
I emphasize these chains of reasoning involving kinematics, forces, and work after students learned them whenever possible. I believe students will benefit if they apply them to problems. Here is one example: Objects at rest / moving at constant speed: Acceleration is zero Net force is zero The forces acting on the object are balanced /Sum ofContinue reading “Problem solving involving kinematics, forces, and work”
Kinematics equation and Work-energy theorem
I am actually amazed by how the work-energy theorem is related to one of the kinematics equations for constant acceleration motion. The work-energy theorem states: the net work done on a particle is the change in its kinetic energy. Mathematically it looks like this: For the left-hand side of the equation, the net work doneContinue reading “Kinematics equation and Work-energy theorem”
Thoughts on energy conversion
Energy is an abstract concept. We cannot see it, but we can utilize the concept to explain complex phenomena. For example, you work out, control your food intake, and lose weight over time. Maybe this example is common sense to everyone that doesn’t really require the energy concept to explain it. The gist is youContinue reading “Thoughts on energy conversion”
Chang Physics Class 