Potential energy

• Why Does Breaking a Chemical Bond Increase Potential Energy?
  Breaking a bond raises the system’s potential energy because work is needed to separate the atoms; forming bonds usually releases energy.
• Can Conservative Forces Change a System’s Mechanical Energy?
  A conservative force can change kinetic energy, but its work is offset by an equal change in potential energy when no nonconservative work acts.
• Can Magnitude Be Negative?
  Magnitude is never negative: it measures size. Signed quantities such as potential energy or a vector component can be negative, depending on direction or reference.
• How to Read the Potential Energy Graph of the Hydrogen Molecule
  The H₂ potential energy curve explained. The minimum marks the 74 pm bond length, its depth the bond energy, and repulsion dominates at short range.