Ms. Smith is driving her car to the store. She drives on a street where the speed limit is 35 mph. Then she turns onto a street where the speed limit is 30 mph. What happens to the kinetic energy of her car? (1 point)
1.When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy is changed to potential energy
2.When she slows from 35 mph to 30mph the car's kinetic energy stays the same
3.When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy decreases
4.When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy increases
To determine what happens to the kinetic energy of Ms. Smith's car when she slows down from 35 mph to 30 mph, we need to understand the formula for kinetic energy. The formula for kinetic energy is:
Kinetic energy = (1/2) * mass * velocity^2
The key variable here is velocity (or speed), as mass remains constant in this scenario. Since kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of velocity, any change in velocity will have an effect on the kinetic energy.
In this case, Ms. Smith is slowing down, which means her velocity is decreasing from 35 mph to 30 mph. Therefore, her car's kinetic energy will decrease because the decrease in velocity reduces the squared term in the formula.
So, the correct answer is: 3. When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy decreases.