03 - Conservative Forces

We define conservative forces through a vice-verse, in which the defintion of "consequence" and "cause" isn't of particular interest for the ITA exam.

A force F is conservative iff:

$$ \oint F \cdot d \vec r = W_F = 0 $$

in other words, a force F is conservative if, no matter what CLOSED path it takes to get to a point or move to and from the same point, the net work done by it is zero.

F may also be written in terms of the total potential of a system this way:

$$F(x) = - \frac{dU}{dx} $$

Examples: Gravitational Force, Elastic Force, Electrostatic Force, Central Forces, Constant Forces

Examples: NOT Friction, NOT Air Resistance