I know the answer for this question is 19, but I don't know if it is in the positive or negative x-direction.

Question

What is the force on a particle at x=2m given the potential energy as the function U(x)=6x²-5x+4?

Ans: 19....?

Answer 1

Hi Katelyn, I'd try graphing the potenital energy function. Remember: for one-dimensional potentials, like the above example, imagine placing a marble on top of the curve of the potential function. If you imagine this, the marble will travel in the direction of the force, as if the marble were going for a roller coaster ride atop the potential graph.