Can you please help me with this one? I'm having a physics test and I could really use your help. So the problem is, can the total mechanical energy of an object be less than the objects kinetic energy?
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4$\begingroup$ That depends on how you're defining your potential energy. $\endgroup$– JMacCommented Mar 8, 2018 at 16:37
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Mechanical energy = Potential energy + Kinetic energy
If potential energy is negative then Kinetic energy must be greater than mechanical energy.
Can potential energy be negative? Yes.
With potential energy, we only care about the difference between two points/states. So it all depends on the set up where you consider your potential energy to be 0.
To answer your question, Can Kinectic energy be greater than mechanical energy? Absolutely YES.
