Gravity & Energy Related to Position

Every time an object gets lifted, dropped, or perched somewhere high, it's storing or releasing energy tied to gravity. In this unit you'll figure out what makes that stored energy grow or shrink, how gravity itself works between any two objects in the universe, and what happens the instant that stored energy turns into motion.

The big idea driving this unit

Investigators studying a runaway roller coaster cart need to know exactly how much energy it had sitting at the top of the first hill, and how all of that stored energy turned into the speed that sent it flying off the track.

Chapters in this unit

1 Gravitational Potential EnergyWhy does a roller coaster cart parked at the top of a 200-foot hill feel so much more dangerous than the same cart sitting on flat ground? The answer is energy you can't even see yet.
2 Universal Law of GravityEvery falling object near Earth speeds up at the exact same rate, so why doesn't gravity pull on a feather and a bowling ball with the exact same force?
3 Gravitational Potential Energy to Kinetic EnergyThe instant a roller coaster cart tips over the top of the first hill and starts speeding downward, where does all that stored energy actually go?

Table of Contents

Gravity & Energy Related to Position

Chapters in this unit