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, 02:52, October 19, 2007
Conservative [[force|forces]] are those that possess certain properties<ref>Serway and Beichner, ''Physics for Scientists and Engineers'', Fifth Edition</ref>:
1. The [[work]] it does on a particle is independent of it's [[trajectory]].
2. The work done on a particle that moves along a closed trajectory (where the initial and final positions are the same, or d<sub>i = d<sub>f</sub></sub>) = 0) is zero.
When the only forces present in a system are conservative, [[mechanical energy]] is be conserved.
Examples of Conservative Forces:
[[Gravitation|Gravitational Force]].
[[Hooke's Law|Force performed by a spring]].
== References ==
<References/>
[[Category: Physics]]
[[Category: Mechanics]]