Position & Stored Potential Energy
Aligned to MS-PS3-2 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Potential energy is stored when objects that attract or repel each other are moved apart or together. The more you move them against the force, the more energy the system stores.
Worked example
Lifting a book to a high shelf stores gravitational potential energy — the higher you lift it, the more energy is stored, and the harder it hits the floor if it falls.
Practice questions
- Observe a stretched rubber band and describe where the potential energy is stored.
- Develop a model showing how a roller coaster's height relates to its stored energy.
- Explain why two magnets pushed close together store more potential energy than when they are far apart.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Posición y Energía Potencial Almacenada
La energía potencial se almacena cuando objetos que se atraen o se repelen se separan o se juntan. Cuanto más los muevas en contra de la fuerza, más energía almacena el sistema.
Ejemplo: Levantar un libro a un estante alto almacena energía potencial gravitatoria — cuanto más alto lo levantes, más energía se almacena, y con más fuerza golpea el suelo si se cae.
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