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Energy in Connected Objects (Systems) definitions

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  • Atwood Machine
    A system consisting of two masses connected by a string over a pulley, used to study motion and forces.
  • Energy Conservation
    A principle stating that the total energy in an isolated system remains constant over time.
  • Kinetic Energy
    The energy possessed by an object due to its motion, calculated as 1/2 mass times velocity squared.
  • Potential Energy
    The energy stored in an object due to its position in a force field, such as gravitational potential energy.
  • Gravitational Potential
    Energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field, often relative to a reference point.
  • Non-Conservative Forces
    Forces that cause energy dissipation from a system, such as friction, not present in this problem.
  • Pulley
    A wheel on an axle designed to support movement and change of direction of a taut cable or belt.
  • Initial Velocity
    The velocity of an object at the start of a time interval, zero in this problem as the system starts from rest.
  • Final Speed
    The speed of an object at the end of a time interval, calculated as 2.56 m/s for both blocks in this problem.
  • Height
    The vertical distance of an object from a reference point, 3 meters for Block B initially.
  • Mass
    A measure of the amount of matter in an object, 5 kg for Block B and 4 kg for Block A in this problem.
  • Acceleration
    The rate of change of velocity of an object, same for both blocks due to their connection.
  • String
    A thin piece of material connecting two objects, transmitting force and motion in the system.
  • System
    A set of interacting components considered in a problem, such as the blocks and pulley in this example.
  • Equation
    A mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions, used to solve for final speed.