During a conversation with a friend, I began to wonder if there's is a term for the transformation of potential energy to kinetic energy, and vice versa.Is there a term for the process of converting potential energy to kinetic?
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$\begingroup$ Short answer: No, there is no universally accepted term for this particual process. $\endgroup$– WintherCommented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:23
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1$\begingroup$ Maybe "Falling"? $\endgroup$– DJohnMCommented Jul 17, 2014 at 1:44
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$\begingroup$ That term isn't general enough to account for all types of potential energy and kinetic energy. $\endgroup$– NumoruCommented Jul 17, 2014 at 2:37
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2 Answers
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Work.
Potential energy exists because of some force that exists, and moving an object through that force causes work to be done. And by the work-energy theorem, the work done on an object is equal to the change in kinetic energy of that object.
answered Jul 17, 2014 at 0:22
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$\begingroup$ Sure, but changing kinetic to potential energy is also work... $\endgroup$– WintherCommented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:24
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$\begingroup$ Yep, but with a negative sign instead of a positive sign. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:24
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$\begingroup$ ...and also for changing potential energy to thermal energy $\endgroup$– WintherCommented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:25
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1$\begingroup$ @Winther maybe thermal energy is just kinetic energy on a microscopic scale. Feynman seems to think so, anyway. (And who can argue with something Feynman said?) $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:27
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$\begingroup$ Of course no physicist would use the OP's words to define work, but they would say that "work is the movement of energy from one place or form to another place or form by mechanical means" which is fairly applicable to the OP's question. And, I suspect, pretty unsatisfying. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 17, 2014 at 0:54
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This is not specific to converting potential energy to kinetic, but the term you're looking for might be "transduction" or "to transduce"- the process of converting energy from one form to another.
answered Jul 17, 2014 at 0:22