The driver of a car slams on her brakes to avoid colliding with a deer crossing the highway. What happens to the car's kinetic energy as it comes to rest?

The brakes get hot and the tires and road surface get hot

Kinetic energy = 1/2 * mv^(2)

Then when v decreases, the kinetic energy decreases as well

When the driver of a car slams on her brakes to avoid colliding with a deer crossing the highway, the car's kinetic energy decreases. This decrease in kinetic energy occurs because the brakes apply a braking force to the car, which opposes the car's motion and brings it to a stop. As the car slows down and eventually comes to rest, its kinetic energy is gradually converted into other forms of energy, such as heat generated by friction between the brake pads and the wheels. Thus, the car's kinetic energy is efficiently reduced during the deceleration process until it reaches zero when the car comes to a complete stop.

To understand what happens to the car's kinetic energy as it comes to rest, let's break it down step by step:

1. Kinetic energy: Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion. It depends on two factors: the object's mass and its velocity. Mathematically, kinetic energy (KE) can be calculated using the formula KE = (1/2)mv^2, where m represents the mass of the object and v represents its velocity.

2. Braking: When the driver slams on the car's brakes, it initiates the braking process. Brakes are designed to exert a force on the car's wheels, causing them to decelerate or slow down.

3. Deceleration: As the car's brakes are applied, the car starts to decelerate due to the friction between the brake pads and the wheels. This deceleration causes the car's velocity to decrease gradually.

4. Work done by the braking force: When the brakes are applied, the decelerating force does negative work on the car. This means that the force is applied opposite to the direction of motion, resulting in a negative change in kinetic energy.

5. Conversion of kinetic energy: As the car decelerates, its kinetic energy is gradually converted into other forms of energy. In this case, much of the car's kinetic energy is converted into thermal energy (heat) due to the friction between the brakes and the wheels. Some amount of energy may also be dissipated as sound and deformation of the car's tires.

6. Complete stop: When the car comes to a complete stop, its velocity is reduced to zero. At this point, the car's kinetic energy is fully converted into other forms of energy (mostly heat).

In conclusion, as the car comes to rest, its kinetic energy decreases gradually due to the negative work done by the brakes, and it is ultimately converted into thermal energy (heat) and other forms of energy.