Energy Conservation

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed into a different type of energy that is no longer useful. Using energy transformation diagrams, we can show the energy transformed durring a football cockback and when the football is thrown.

An energy conservation diagram of cocking a football starts off with chemical energy which is stored in the bonds of chemical compounds. Then the energy changes in the object changes to Kinetic energy because it possesses energy due to its motion, after the energy changes to gravitational potential energy because of its position (energy associated with gravity or gravitational force). The energy changes back to kinetic energy because the object is moving. The final energy occuring in the the cockback motion is Gravitational potential energy.

Quaterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons throwing a football.

Quaterback Matt Ryan cocking back a football.

The energy that is present when the football is released from the quaterback's hand and in the air is Gravitational Potential Energy because of its position (energy associated with gravity or gravitational force), the energy is then transferred into Sound energy and Thermal Energy equally. Thermal energy is the energy that comes from heat. This heat is generated by the movement of tiny particles within an object. The faster these particles move, the more heat is generated. Sound energy is a form of energy that is associated with vibrations of matter. It is a type of mechanical wave which means it requires an object to travel through. This object includes air and water. Soundoriginates from the vibrations that result after an object applies a force to another object.

I can calculate the amount of kinetic energy the football has at any point during it's flight. There will never be energy lost, I know that the total energy at any two points will be the same. What changes is the form the energy. If I want to find the speed of the football at maximum height I can use the following equation to solve for it. To find the speed of the ball at maximum height, I have to use my energy conservation equation to find how much kinetic energy, and potential energy there is at this point in the projectile motion. I can solve for the velocity at this point by using the following equation.

The football will be moving at a speed of 13m/s.