Are you an EPFL student looking for a semester project?
Work with us on data science and visualisation projects, and deploy your project as an app on top of Graph Search.
This lecture covers the concept of conservation of mechanical energy, focusing on the interplay between kinetic and potential energy in various physical systems. The instructor discusses the calculation of work done by conservative and non-conservative forces, as well as the stability of equilibrium points. Through examples like a yoyo and a sliding object on an inclined plane, the lecture demonstrates how to apply energy conservation principles to solve problems in mechanics. The importance of distinguishing between conservative and non-conservative forces, as well as the significance of correctly assigning signs in equations, is emphasized.