What is Non-Conservative force

The two general categories of forces in physics refer to conservative force and non-conservative force. Each type of force has distinct implications in physics and has many critical differences. In the case of conservative forces, the work done depends on the starting and end positions of the concerned objects. On the other hand, a non-conservative force is a force for which the work done depends on the path taken. 

What are the differences between non-conservative and conservative forces? What is the example of a non-conservative force? The answer to these questions is an essential part of an introduction to non-conservative forces. Discover more about non-conservative forces in the following discussion. 

Conservative Forces

A conservative force is evident in cases where the work done by the force does not depend on the path followed for moving an object. Therefore, the work done in conservative forces takes the endpoints of the concerned object as inputs. Common examples of conservative forces include electrostatic force and gravitational force. 

Non-Conservative Forces

The definition of conservative forces offers an easy explanation of what non-conservative forces should be. A non-conservative force is a force for which the work done depends on the path taken.

Non-conservative forces are the opposite of conservative forces, as their name implies, and have a different approach to determining the amount of work done. When a non-conservative force moves one object from one point to another, the work done depends on the path of the object. One of the most common examples of non-conservative forces is friction. 

How Does Friction Qualify as a Non-Conservative Force?

Path-Dependent

One of the foremost aspects of non-conservative forces like friction is that work depends on the path. In the case of friction, the work done depends on the length of the path between the starting and endpoint for an object. The dependence on the path takes away any possibilities for conserving potential energy in non-conservative forces. 

Dissipation of Energy 

The traits of non-conservative forces also highlight how they are dissipative in nature, and the energy lost cannot be fully recovered. Work done by non-conservative forces helps in adding or removing mechanical energy from a particular system. For example, friction is responsible for creating thermal energy, which dissipates and removes energy from the system. Keep in mind that it is practically impossible to fully convert the dissipated energy into work. 

Work-Energy Theorem in Non-Conservative and Conservative Force 

The next important aspect in any discussion on non-conservative forces focuses on the application of the work-energy theorem. You can understand the differences between conservative and non-conservative forces in detail. At the same time, you can also learn more about how non-conservative forces have an impact on non-conversational forces. You would find that the work done with non-conservative force is equal to the change in mechanical energy of the concerned system. 

The work-energy theorem implies that the net work done for a system is equal to the change in kinetic energy, also represented as,

Wnet = ∆KE

You must note that the net work doneof the system is the summation of work by non-conservative forces and by conservative forces as well. Therefore, 

Wnet = Wnc + Wc 

You can also represent the work-energy theorem in the following manner.

Wnc + Wc = ∆KE

• “Wnc” represents the work done by non-conservative forces.

• “Wc” represents the work done by conservative forces. 

Let us assume that a person pushes an object up an incline with friction opposing the object’s movement as an example of a non-conservative force at work. The work by conservative forces emerges as a result of losing gravitational potential energy. Therefore, you have the following equation.

Wc = -∆PE.

You can implement this value into the equation for “Wnc”, and the result will be, 

Wnc = ∆KE + ∆PE.

Therefore, you can notice how the total work done by the non-conservative force is equal to the changes in mechanical energy. 

Conclusion 

The overview of conservative forces and non-conservative forces showcase a basic idea about their classification. You can note one of the significant traits of non-conservative forces is the dependency on the path taken by an object. Conservative forces estimate work done by taking the starting and ending points of an object into account. 

Non-conservative forces are the complete opposite, and a non-conservative force is a force for which the work done depends on the path taken. In addition, another significant trait of non-conservative forces refers to dissipative energy. Most importantly, you should also note how the work done by non-conservative forces equals the total changes in mechanical energy of a system. You can learn more about conservative forces to strengthen your expertise in non-conservative forces.