A rolling ball and a raised stone both can do work. One has energy because it moves, the other because of where it is. Together these make mechanical energy.
- Mechanical energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion or its position .
- We quantify it using the idea of work: energy of motion is kinetic energy , and energy of position or configuration is potential energy .
- Mechanical energy — the energy that an object possesses due to its motion or its position.