Mechanical energy nonconservative forces, like frictional forces, will be present, but often they are of negligible values and the mechanical energy's being constant can therefore be a useful approximation. In elastic collisions, the mechanical energy is conserved but in inelastic collisions, some mechanical energy is converted into heat. The equivalence between lost mechanical energy (dissipation) and an increase in temperature was discovered by James Prescott Joule. Many devices are used to convert mechanical energy to or from other forms of energy, e.g. an electric motor converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, an electric generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and a
Mechanical energy simplified into since in circular motion, Newton's 2nd Law of motion can be taken to be Today, many technological devices convert mechanical energy into other forms of energy or vice versa. These devices can be placed in these categories: The classification of energy into different types often follows the boundaries of the fields of study in the natural sciences. Notes Citations Bibliography Mechanical energy In physical sciences, mechanical energy is the sum of potential energy and kinetic energy. It is the energy associated with the motion and position of an object. The principle of conservation of mechanical energy states that