Simulation · Physics · Class 11
Round a vertical circle
From the lesson Conservation of mechanical energy in Work, Energy and Power. Change the values and watch what happens.
Round a vertical circlePhysics · Class 11
The idea behind it
NCERT § "The Conservation of Mechanical Energy"
- If only conservative forces do work on a body, its total mechanical energy K + V stays constant.
- A body falling freely from height H has the same total energy mgH at every point: potential energy turns into kinetic energy as it falls.
- Speed at the bottom of a smooth curved track depends only on the height dropped, v = √(2gh), not on the shape of the track.
- For a bob whirled in a vertical circle on a string of length L, the minimum speed at the lowest point for completing the circle is √(5gL), and the minimum speed at the top is √(gL).
- When non-conservative forces like friction act, the loss in mechanical energy equals the work done against them: (K + V)_initial − (K + V)_final = work done against friction.
- The energy lost to friction is not destroyed; it appears mainly as heat, so total energy is still conserved.