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 students is incorrect?
The student is incorrect because the object does not create new energy as it falls through the air. The object gains speed because its potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy. The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another. In this case, the potential energy of the object is being transformed into kinetic energy as it falls, thus conserving the total energy of the system.
