Learning Goal: To be able to interpret potential energy diagrams and predict the

Question

Learning Goal: To be able to interpret potential energy diagrams and predict the corresponding motion of a particle Potential energy diagrams for a particle are useful in predicting the motion of that particle. These diagrams allow one to determine the direction of the force acting on the particle at any point, the points of stable and unstable equilibrium, the particle's kinetic energy, etc. Consider the potential energy diagram shown (Figure 1) The curve represents the value of potential energy U as a function of the particle's coordinate z The horizontal line above the curve represents the constant value of the total energy of the particle E The total energy E is the sum of kinetic (K) and potential (U) energies of the particle The key idea in interpreting the graph can be expressed in the equation gure 1 of 1> A BCD F G H

Explanation / Answer

Point of stable equalibirum are the minima of the Potentional Energy Curve Since Force acting at these points have a minimum value

                  {From F = -dU/dx , A Minimum value of Potentional Energy = Minimum value of Force.}

Hence From Potentional Energy Curve these points are D and H.Hence answer is DH

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