An object falls freely near Earth's surface. Which graph best represents the relationship between the object's kinetic energy and time elapsed during its fall?
what would the graph look like?
The graph representing the relationship between the object's kinetic energy and time elapsed during its fall would be a curve that increases linearly. As the object falls freely near Earth's surface, its kinetic energy increases as it gains speed due to the force of gravity. The relationship between kinetic energy and time would be directly proportional, meaning the higher the elapsed time, the higher the kinetic energy. However, since the kinetic energy is also dependent on the square of the velocity, the graph would not be a straight line, but a curve that gradually becomes steeper.
The graph representing the relationship between the object's kinetic energy and time elapsed during its fall would be a linear graph.
As the object falls freely near Earth's surface, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, causing the kinetic energy to increase continuously with time. This implies that the graph of kinetic energy against time would show a linear relationship, with the kinetic energy increasing at a constant rate as time elapses.
To determine the graph representing the relationship between kinetic energy and time elapsed during free fall near Earth's surface, we need to understand the factors influencing kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy of an object can be calculated using the equation:
kinetic energy = (1/2) * mass * velocity^2
When an object falls freely near Earth's surface, it experiences acceleration due to gravity, and its velocity increases over time. The relationship between velocity and time is linear, meaning velocity increases by a constant amount with each passing second.
Since kinetic energy depends on velocity squared, it increases at a faster rate as velocity increases. Therefore, as time elapses during free fall, the object's kinetic energy will also increase rapidly.
Now, let's discuss the possible graph representing this relationship. The x-axis of the graph will represent time elapsed during the fall, and the y-axis will represent the object's kinetic energy.
The most suitable graph would be a curve that starts from zero on the y-axis and then rapidly increases as time elapses. This curve would gradually become steeper to portray the increasing rate of change in kinetic energy as velocity increases due to gravity.
To summarize, the graph representing the relationship between the object's kinetic energy and time elapsed during its free fall near Earth's surface would start from zero on the y-axis and form a steep, upward curve as time elapses.