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Jim,
It's neither. The L and C are containers for the energy, which is in
the form of electrical current alternating with electrical potential
(voltage).
In a gravity pendulum system, the energy oscillates between being all
kinetic and all potential energy. The interaction between the mass of
the pendulum and gravity are the containers for the energy of the system.
When the pendulum is at the top of the swing at either end, all of the
energy is potential, because, for just that moment, the pendulum is not
moving. It has to be moving to have kinetic energy. At the very bottom
of the swing, the energy is all kinetic, because the pendulum can't fall
any further. Thus it has no potential energy at the very bottom of the
swing. The pendulum has to be able to fall further to have any
potential energy.
In a perfect parallel LC circuit with no resistance, the current sloshes
back and forth between + at the top, and - at the bottom at one end of
the cycle, to - at the top and + at the bottom, reversing the polarity
at the opposite side of the cycle, in a classic sinusoidal fashion.
When the voltage reaches the maximum, at the top of the sine wave, all
the energy is potential, 'cause no current is flowing. When current is
at maximum, as the voltage curve crosses the zero voltage level, all
energy is kinetic, as there is no potential difference across the tank.
HTH,
Dave
On 4/25/2014 7:46 AM, Jim wrote:
I've heard of LC circuits being compared to pendulums. Is there
kinetic and potential energy involved? If so, which is kinetic, the
Inductor?