An object falling through the air, gaining speed as it falls a student claims that this create a new energy and so it breaks the law of conservation of energy. Which statement describes why the student is incorrect.
The student is incorrect because the increase in speed of the falling object does not result in the creation of new 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 scenario, as the object gains speed, its potential energy due to its height above the ground is converted into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. Therefore, the total energy of the system (object plus Earth) remains conserved.
The student is incorrect because the process of an object falling through the air and gaining speed does not create new energy; it only converts potential energy into kinetic energy. The phenomenon can be explained by the conservation of energy, specifically the principle of conservation of mechanical energy.
The concept of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can only be transferred or converted from one form to another. In the case of an object falling through the air, the initial potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the object gains speed. The total amount of energy (the sum of potential and kinetic energy) remains constant throughout the process.
Therefore, the claim that a falling object creates new energy is incorrect as it goes against the well-established principle of conservation of energy.