Conservative force

A conservative force is a force which is not path-dependent. In other words, in moving an object from point A to point B, the total work done is independent of the path that the object took. The term conservative force comes from the fact that when a conservative force exists, it is possible to view the effects of the force in terms of a change in potential energy which keeps the mechanical energy conserved.

The fundamental forces are all conservative. An example of a non-conservative force is friction.