Define : Kinetic and potential?

Answer 1

potential: stored
kinetic: produced by motion.

Answer 2

Kinetic Energy:
is energy of motion. Remember roller coasters? A car that moves faster has more kinetic energy than a car that moves slower. Atoms have "Kinetic Energy" too because they move. The atoms in a hot object move faster than atoms in a cold object. The atoms in a hot object have more kinetic energy than the atoms in a cold object. Adding heat to a substance will make the atoms vibrate more and when heat leaves the substance; the atoms will vibrate less.

Potential Energy:
The energy stored in a raised object (eg the weights in a grandfather clock). Potential energy equals mgh, where m is mass, g is the acceleration of gravity, and h is the vertical distance from a reference location. It is called potential energy because the energy can be regained when the object is lowered. This type of potential energy is sometimes called gravitational potential energy.

Answer 3

potential energy is theoretical, it's a quantity used in equations in order to use algebra in physics. As previously said, it is energy not yet realized. so a rock at the top of a cliff has the Potential Energy of falling down the cliff. It's theoretical because we all could have infinite potential energy (the ground could open up and we could be sucked into the center of the earth like a black hole, theoretically...)

kinetic energy is real energy, and it is often called that. kinetic energy is the energy of motion. when a ball is in motion, it has kinetic energy.

Answer 4

Put simply, Kinetic energy is energy because of MOTION and Potential energy is energy because of its POSITION.

Thus, anything that is moving, that is with speed or velocity has kinetic energy. That is why car crashes are so bad because of LOTS of energy from speeding cars are so much as to pancake another car or object or even itself.

On the other hand the pool of water at the top of a high waterfall has so much potential energy because of its height.

Answer 5

A car on top of a hill has potential energy. Once it starts moving, it becomes kinetic.

Answer 6

Kinetic energy is a property moving particles have, regardless where they may be. It's a function of its velocity, and only its velocity. Potential energy is a property particles have depending on where they are, regardless if they're moving or not. It's a function of position, such as altitude in a gravitational field. There are other kinds of potential energy, such as chemical potential, which isn't expressed in terms of position, even though ultimately it's based on position in force fields in the very small.

Answer 7

kinetic = of motion, eg kinetic energy = energy that a moving ball has before it smacks a kid in the face
potential = not yet realized, eg. potential energy = energy of a bucket of water standing above the door until a kid opens the door...