Where is potential energy stored?

So imagine we have two planets close to each other, the mavity would pull and they would collide, this would cause super heating and an incredible amount of energy would be released in the form of heat and light, this would radiate off into space, now that energy is gone what has changed?

The kinetic energy, and whatever other forms of energy that planet stored. Asssuming there was 100% of it converted, it would he converted into the heat and light. The planet, would probably be split in the force of this, so of the fragments of this would have a part of the total energy of the entire system.

Nothing has changed, except the ratio of each part of energy is different. Say before the ratio was:

3 of kinetic energy to :2 of thermal energy, after the collision there might be a ratio of 1 of kinetic energy and 4 of thermal. So nothing has been destroyed.

Another thing that would have changed is that the two planets that collided would be nothing like what they were.
 
[Can of worms]There may be more than one universe. Is our universe's energy restricted to our control volume?[/Can of worms]


If you look at the 10th dimension thing, one is part dimension is the result of the other so I would have to say no.

But I am no theorist by any stretch of the imagination.
 
This would explain how we are here then because given enough time anything can happen in infinity, like evolution happens under the right conditions given enough time.


Not necessarily true.

Evolution is this, and simply this

a species is born with a genetic mutation. This mutation means it has a better chance of surviving in its environment. Then, it survives and passes this gene on, so the next generation get the beneficial trait. Gradually, the ones who have this trait survive better than the ones who don't, so those may end up dying out.

however in today's society, genetic mutation isnt' really possible, anytime someone is born with a genetic mutation, it's treated as something bad and is "fixed". Therefore, humans will no longer evolve.
 
So imagine we have two planets close to each other, the mavity would pull and they would collide, this would cause super heating and an incredible amount of energy would be released in the form of heat and light, this would radiate off into space, now that energy is gone what has changed?
The potential energy of the planets being apart was converted to kinetic energy as they moved together, which was in turn converted to heat and light in the collision.

What has changed is the two planets are now against each other instead of a distance apart.
 
Yeah, i see that change but its almost like energy is imaginary and doesn't exist yet it does in various tangible forms like light or atoms, how can something like that be converted into matter then?
 
however in today's society, genetic mutation isnt' really possible, anytime someone is born with a genetic mutation, it's treated as something bad and is "fixed". Therefore, humans will no longer evolve.

How the hell do you figure that out? Not all genetic "mutations" are bad.

Sure evolution will be slower and less straight-lined because being a slow runner isn't going to get you eaten in today's world, but it's still going to take place (and possibly even quicker).
 
however in today's society, genetic mutation isnt' really possible, anytime someone is born with a genetic mutation, it's treated as something bad and is "fixed". Therefore, humans will no longer evolve.

I think you're imagining a "genetic mutation" as a serious genetic illness rather than a simple mutation of a coded gene. (and don't forget with those illnesses, the people who have them stay alive now rather than dying off due to medical advances . . .) Humans are still evolving, and genes will always be mutating!
 
The potential energy is stored within the gravitational field in your example.

Think of the gravitational field like a spring.
This. :)

Edit: Some dodgy interpretations of energy in this thread - but thats because energy isn't really a thing - its a concept contrived to explain what we observe. :D

Had a conference on this over the weekend just gone in fact, on how to address misconceptions of energy in 11-18 year olds; pretty fascinating and potentially (pun intended) confusing stuff.
 
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mass is condensed energy ,from light, from the sun.

yes but thats quite misleading, just colliding won't neccersarily release energy(from the mass), in order to release energy fusion needs to take place (needing tremendous pressures) in order to create a mass deficit in order to produce energy. basically unless the 2 hypothetical planets become one star, then they will not start getting energy from mass..

and i agree with the comment that there are a lot of peopel on here thinking they know what they're talking about. "i can do science me".

Increasing pressure can increase temperature, which will increase it's radiation, but that does not mean it is using fusion to create the light...
 
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Yeah, i see that change but its almost like energy is imaginary and doesn't exist yet it does in various tangible forms like light or atoms, how can something like that be converted into matter then?

That's becuase there's no actual thing as 'energy' it can't be bottled. Energy is just a function of mathematics.
 
The OP's original question is answered in the overview in the Wikipedia article on Potential Energy ... which does make me wonder why he is starting these physics threads on a forum not known (at times) for it's scientific accuracy ... I'm sure there are better places he could ask or find out the information.

If the OP genuinely wants to learn more about this subject then I'd suggest University Physics by Young et al available from the usual large online retailers.
 
How the hell do you figure that out? Not all genetic "mutations" are bad.

Sure evolution will be slower and less straight-lined because being a slow runner isn't going to get you eaten in today's world, but it's still going to take place (and possibly even quicker).

Not necessarily. Humans won't need to rely on mutations to solve problems relating to whether we can survive in our environment. Instead we're using science and technology, that itself has become the adaption.

I think you're imagining a "genetic mutation" as a serious genetic illness rather than a simple mutation of a coded gene. (and don't forget with those illnesses, the people who have them stay alive now rather than dying off due to medical advances . . .) Humans are still evolving, and genes will always be mutating!

I wouldn't say that humans are evolving. Sure each generation is a little taller than the last, but that's not really evolution. Obviously whenever someone has a genetic defect, you'll hear it in the news "man born without face" etc. but there's not really any genetic mutations that are helping us to survive in our environment, hence it cannot be called "evolution"
 
I wouldn't say that humans are evolving. Sure each generation is a little taller than the last, but that's not really evolution. Obviously whenever someone has a genetic defect, you'll hear it in the news "man born without face" etc. but there's not really any genetic mutations that are helping us to survive in our environment, hence it cannot be called "evolution"

I wouldn't agree with that - we are still evolving to meet our redefined "social battle of the fittest" - for example this older BBC article. Being slightly taller than the last generation is both down to genetics and the environment in which we grow up. Although there's argument that my parents had a "healthier" upbringing than me, given the amount of rubbish in foods these days.
 
In the future as everyone genetically modifies their bodies in whichever way they choose the concept of evolution is going to become a foreign one to the human race.
 
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