A real spring does not oscillate forever. Instead, it eventually comes to a stop. Does this violate the Law of Conservation of Energy? Explain why or why not.
the energy "lost" is converted to heat energy. If you did this in a perfectly insulated box, you would see the temperature rise as the spring slowed down.
clearly not.
"Missing" energy almost always winds up as heat.
By the way I gave you a simple answer because you asked the simple question.
However if you sense that something was lost as the spring wound down, even if not the total energy, you would be right. This is related to the physics or physical chemistry course you take next year, the concept of "entropy" and the reason perpetual motion does not happen. During the slowing of the spring, the capability to do useful work with the energy decreased.
The usual example is that if you have a cup of water at 100 degrees and another at zero degrees, you can run a machine with the energy available between them. However if you mix them and have two cups at 50 degrees, the total energy is the same, but the ability to run your engine is gone.
To determine whether the stopping of a real spring violates the Law of Conservation of Energy, we need to understand the law and examine the situation.
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time. It means that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another.
In the case of a real spring, the primary form of energy involved is mechanical potential energy, which is stored in the spring when it is compressed or stretched. When a compressed or stretched spring is released, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, causing the spring to oscillate back and forth.
However, in a real spring, various factors can cause the oscillations to gradually decrease and eventually come to a stop. These factors include air resistance, friction at the point of attachment, damping forces, and energy loss due to heat.
When the spring oscillates, some of its mechanical energy is converted into other forms like thermal energy due to friction and air resistance. This conversion leads to energy dissipation from the system, and as a result, the spring eventually stops oscillating. The energy lost to other forms is typically not recoverable, as it is dispersed into the surroundings.
Since the total energy of the system (spring and its surroundings) remains constant, the energy lost by the spring must be gained by its surroundings in some other form, usually as an increase in thermal energy. Therefore, the Law of Conservation of Energy is not violated because although the mechanical energy of the spring diminishes and is eventually dissipated, its total energy is conserved within the system.
In summary, while a real spring does not oscillate forever due to energy dissipation, the Law of Conservation of Energy remains intact because the total energy within the system is conserved.