NSCI 1501 Lecture 7: Conservative and Non Conservative Forces

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Document Summary

Gravitational, elastic and electromagnetic forces are called conservative because work against them is stored in the body as potential energy and can be converted directly to kinetic energy. On the other hand, frictional forces are called non-conservative because the work spent by them is converted to heat and cannot be converted directly to kinetic energy. Conservative forces: the work done against gravitational and elastic forces is stored as potential energy that can be converted back to kinetic energy. For example, if you are on the fourth floor of a building you have a certain amount of potential energy, higher than that on the ground. Your potential energy depends only on your height above the ground and not on how you got there. You may have walked straight up to the fourth floor or you may have gone first to the ninth, next down to the third and then up to the fourth.