the mechanical energy of a system is conserved at static equilibrium.
the mechanical energy of a system is conserved at static equilibrium.
when is the mechanical energy of a system conserved?
static equilibrium
that the loss of mechanical energy in a system always resulted in an increase of the system's temperature has been known for a long time, but it was the amateur physicist james prescott joule who first experimentally demonstrated how a certain amount of work done against friction resulted in a definite quantity of heat which should be conceived as the random motions of the particles that comprise matter. this equivalence between mechanical energy and heat is especially important when considering colliding objects. in an elastic collision, mechanical energy is conserved – the sum of the mechanical energies of the colliding objects is the same before and after the collision. after an inelastic collision, however, the mechanical energy of the system will have changed. usually, the mechanical energy before the collision is greater than the mechanical energy after the collision. in inelastic collisions, some of the mechanical energy of the colliding objects is transformed into kinetic energy of the constituent particles. this increase in kinetic energy of the constituent particles is perceived as an increase in temperature. the collision can be described by saying some of the mechanical energy of the colliding objects has been converted into an equal amount of heat. thus, the total energy of the system remains unchanged though the mechanical energy of the system has reduced.
mechanical energy
specific mechanical energy









































specific mechanical energy is the mechanical energy of an object per unit of mass. similar to mechanical energy, the specific mechanical energy of an object in an isolated system subject only to conservative forces will remain constant.









































it is defined as:









































formula_1









































where









































bullet::::- formula_2 is the specific kinetic energy









































bullet::::- formula_3 it the specific potential energy









































section::::astrodynamics.









































in the gravitational two-body problem, the specific mechanical energy formula_4 is given as:









































formula_5









































where









































bullet::::- formula_6 is the relative orbital speed;









































bullet::::- formula_7 is the orbital distance between the bodies;
specific mechanical energy