Some Common Examples Of How Mechanical Energy Is Used
Mechanical energy is the energy contained in an object due to the motion of the object or because of its stored energy of position. It can take the form of kinetic energy also known as energy of motion, or potential energy, which is stored energy of position. When an object moves, it is said to have mechanical energy, and also if it is at some position relative to a zero potential energy position. Mechanical energy is also contained in the moving car which comes about because of its motion. In a similar vein, the moving baseball also possesses mechanical energy because of the high speed at which it travels, and because of its vertical position above the ground. A book that is at rest at the top of a shelf will also have this form of energy because it has gravitational potential energy that comes about from being in a vertical position above the ground.
Ability To Apply Force To Displace Another Object
When an object possesses mechanical energy, it is able to do work, and another way of describing this form of energy is energy of work. It may possess potential energy or kinetic energy which will give it the ability to perform work. In other words, the energy of work enables the object to apply force to another object so that it can displace the other object.
There are many ways in which an object having mechanical energy can harness that energy to apply force on another object and displace it. The best example would be a wrecking ball of a demolition machine. Another instance would be a hammer that has the ability to apply force on a nail and cause its displacement.
While you are out bowling at the bowling alley, you will be using mechanical energy of the bowling ball to knock over the pins. Dart guns are another example of how energy of an object can do work on other objects. The springs in the dart gun possess mechanical energy, and this energy allows the springs to exercise force to the dart to propel it forward, thus displacing it.
Wind farms in the USA also make use of high speed winds to work on the turbine blades, and in such a way, the mechanical energy of the moving air allows the air particles to possess the ability to force the displacement of the blades of the turbine, which when they spin, convert the energy of work into electrical energy that is supplied to homes as well as industries to run electrical appliances.
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