An object falls through the air, gaining speed as it falls. A student claims that this creates new energy and so it breaks the law of conservation of energy. Which statement describes why the student is incorrect
The student is incorrect because the object does not create new energy as it falls. The increasing speed of the object is a result of the conversion of potential energy (due to its initial height) into kinetic energy (due to its motion). The total energy of the system, which includes both potential and kinetic energy, remains conserved.
