A pendulum is made with a bowling ball as the bob and a wire attached to the ceiling, as shown in the illustration below. The person in the illustration pulls the bowling ball back until it touches his nose, then releases the bowling ball. Assume that he does not move. 1.Describe the changes in the potential energy and the kinetic energy of the bowling ball as it swings back and forth. 2.Explain whether the bowling ball will hit the person's nose. Include a discussion of energy changes in your explanation. 3.Explain what will happen if the person gives the bowling ball a small push as it is released. Include a discussion of energy changes in your explanation.
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i don't understand the first subquestion
What's the difference between potential and kinetic energy? How does the swinging bowling ball show this difference?
so the ball at first has no KE but has only KE and the as it swings PE transforms into KE and then as the ball is swinging back and forth,KE turns into mechanical and heat energy?IS this correct
To answer these questions, we need to understand the principles of potential energy and kinetic energy in a pendulum system.
1. Changes in Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy:
As the bowling ball is pulled back and released, it undergoes a swinging motion back and forth. At the highest point in its swing, the ball has maximum potential energy, and its kinetic energy is minimum (almost zero), as it momentarily stops.
As the ball descends in its swing, potential energy decreases while kinetic energy increases. This is because the ball gains more speed and momentum as it moves downwards due to the conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy.
At the lowest point of the swing, the ball has maximum kinetic energy, and its potential energy is minimum (almost zero), as it momentarily stops again. The process then repeats in reverse direction as the ball swings back up.
So, in summary, the potential energy of the bowling ball is maximum at the highest point of its swing, and minimum at the lowest point. Meanwhile, the kinetic energy is minimum at the highest and lowest points and maximum at the middle point of each swing.
2. The bowling ball hitting the person's nose:
If everything occurs perfectly within the ideal pendulum system, the bowling ball will not hit the person's nose. This is because energy is conserved, and the energy of the swinging ball is continuously exchanging between potential and kinetic energy.
At the highest and lowest points, the potential energy is momentarily zero, and there is no forward movement in those instances. So, even though the ball swings back and forth, its motion stops (or almost stops) at the extreme points, ensuring that it will not hit the person's nose, assuming the person remains still.
However, it's important to note that in real-world situations, there may be factors such as air resistance or imperfections in the pendulum setup that can affect the motion. These factors could potentially cause the ball to deviate from the ideal swing and hit the person's nose. But in an idealized scenario, if the pendulum is perfectly set up and there are no external influences, the ball will not hit the person's nose.
3. Giving the bowling ball a small push:
If the person gives the bowling ball a small push as it is released, additional energy (in the form of kinetic energy) will be imparted to the ball. This will cause the ball to have a greater maximum height during each swing.
Due to the extra push, the ball will start with more kinetic energy, and as it swings, that kinetic energy will convert to potential energy and back to kinetic energy again. Consequently, the ball will reach a higher height in each swing, resulting in a greater range of motion.
In summary, giving the bowling ball a small push will increase its initial kinetic energy, leading to a greater swing height and wider amplitude of oscillation during each swing.