Ms. Smith is driving her car to the store. She drives on a street where the speed limit is 35 mph. Then she turns onto a street where the speed limit is 30 mph. What happens to the kinetic energy of her car? (1 point)
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy is changed to potential energy
When she slows from 35 mph to 30mph the car's kinetic energy stays the same
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy decreases
When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy increases
To determine what happens to the kinetic energy of Ms. Smith's car when she slows down from 35 mph to 30 mph, we need to understand the relationship between kinetic energy and speed. The formula for kinetic energy is as follows:
Kinetic Energy = 0.5 * mass * velocity^2
In this case, the mass of the car remains constant, so we can ignore it. The key factor that affects kinetic energy in this situation is the change in velocity.
Since kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of the velocity, any change in velocity will have a significant impact on kinetic energy. When the car slows down from 35 mph to 30 mph, it is experiencing a decrease in velocity. Therefore, we can conclude that the car's kinetic energy decreases as a result. Consequently, the correct answer is "When she slows from 35 mph to 30 mph, the car's kinetic energy decreases."