Primary resources

This link takes you to the conservative forces and potential energy section of the openstax college physics textbook.  This section also includes spring potential energy.

  • For now, skip the section labeled as "Conservation of Mechanical Energy".  We will cover that in our conservation of energy section.

 

This link takes you to the gravitational potential energy section of the openstax college physics textbook.

  • For now, skip the section labeled as "Using Potential Energy to Simplify Calculations".  This section illustrates how gravitational potential energy can be incorporated into the work-kinetic energy theorem;  we will cover that in our work-kinetic energy section.

 

This link takes you to the potential energy page of the physics classroom website.  Here they discuss potential energy, including both gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy.

 

Secondary Resources

 

An entertaining video, introducing gravitational potential energy.

 

Another entertaining video, with a surprise guest, introducing elastic potential energy.

 

 

Other Resources

Gravitational Potential Energy

free falling particle problems

http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/301/lectures/node57.html

Eastern Illinois source on potential energy

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfadd/1150/06WrkEng/PE.html

This one goes hand in hand with the above link. Specifically getting into gravitational pot energy

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfadd/1150/06WrkEng/GravPE.html

Examples of work/PE/KE

http://www.phys.ttu.edu/~rirlc/pe.html

Intro to Potential Energy

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/energy/Lesson-1/Potential-Energy

Short direct definition

http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/work/node4.html#SECTION00530000000000...

Pendulum potential energy

http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/581/MostlyPE.html

 

Here are some great videos related to gravitational potential energy

Plane changing heights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKrieVc6O7A
Gravity Potential Planetary Mechanics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKWltfG-VjU
Velocity to go in to orbit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rEPjhFAOZM
Velocity of Satellite in orbit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsLoRxVfT4Q
Intro to grav pot with worked examples http://www.flippingphysics.com/intro-peg.html

Spring Potential Energy

Eastern Illinois U on potential spring energy

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfadd/1150/06WrkEng/ElPE.html

http://www.physics.ucla.edu/HighSchoolPhysics/Momentum_and_Energy/Energy...

Potential Energy stored in a spring

http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/work/node5.html#SECTION00540000000000...

 

Hyperphysics elastic energy (pot. spring energy)

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/pespr.html

Brief resource on elastic potential energy

http://electron6.phys.utk.edu/101/CH3/elastic_potential_energy.htm

Lecture notes on elastic potential energy

http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys311.old/lectures/pote/pote.html
 

Here are some great videos related to spring potential energy

Elastic Spring  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIqn0xjzJXY&list=PLE5FAF872F37546C8&index=6
Vertical Spring Problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXq4VEPwC6A&list=PLE5FAF872F37546C8&index=7
Energy in Spring and gravitational energy conservation problem  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zbmf-sxPVc&list=PLE5FAF872F37546C8&index=8
Introduction elastic potential  http://www.flippingphysics.com/intro-pee.html
****Direct Measurement of energy  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PGJUrqyvw
Introduction to elastic potential  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwaX5D0W1GU&list=PLSzDiTp_K4OfKfqtYTS6FH...

 

VIDEO (Universal Gravitation: