8 ms·

The spinning wheel has kinetic energy, not potential energy, right?

• bonzini 8y ago
  It's kinetic energy if you consider rotation around the center of the flywheel (I * omega^2/2), but only potential energy to move around and destroy stuff (m * v^2/2). If you let the flywheel loose, it becomes just a wheel and it's not potential energy anymore. :-)
• ars 8y ago
  > potential energy There isn't really such a thing. It's just a matter of your viewpoint if something is potential energy or actual energy. Physically they work the same (for example both types of energy gravitate, and contribute to mass).