what is the difference between kinetic energy and potential energy ?

Kinetic energy is energy possessed by a body by virtue of its movement. Potential energy is the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position or state. While kinetic energy of an object is relative to the state of other objects in its environment, potential energy is completely independent of its environment. Hence the acceleration of an object is not evident in the movement of one object, where other objects in the same environment are also in motion. For example, a bullet whizzing past a person who is standing possesses kinetic energy, but the bullet has no kinetic energy with respect to a train moving alongside. read less

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object by virtue of its motion. Higher the velocity, higher will be the kinetic energy ie a ball travelling a a higher speed will posses move energy and will cause more impact or pain. Kinetic energy= 1/2* m* v^2. Potential energy is the energy possessed by an object by virtue of its height or elevation. Greater the height of a ball, more will be the potential energy and more the impact. It is a form of stored energy. Potential energy = m*g*h. When a ball is at rest its kinetic energy will be zero but it will possess some potential energy due to its height. read less

While potential energy is non-related to the environment of the object, kinetic energy is completely relative to the other moving or stationary objects in the environment. The difference between both the energies and the conversion of one another is explained by the falling of rock from a cliff, when its energy of position is changed to energy of motion. If we consider a swing, as the suspended body moves upward in its swing, its kinetic energy is continuously being changed into potential energy: the higher it goes the greater becomes the energy that it owes to its position. At the top of the swing the change from kinetic to potential energy is complete, and in the course of the downward motion that follows the potential energy is in turn converted to kinetic energy. A water fall has both potential and kinetic energies by virtue of its height and by the movement of the water. When the water is at the top of a water fall, it is full of potential energy. But when the water touches the bottom, it has only kinetic energy and no potential energy. read less