As shown below, a student places a 500-gram car at point X on a wooden racetrack in an energy transformation investigation.
What outcome is most likely if the student uses a 700-gram car instead?
(1 point)
Responses
A 700-gram car would have less kinetic energy at point X and less potential energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have less kinetic energy at point X and less potential energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have more potential energy at point X and more kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have more potential energy at point X and more kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have less potential energy at point X and less kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have less potential energy at point X and less kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have more kinetic energy at point X and less potential energy at the bottom of the racetrack
A 700-gram car would have less potential energy at point X and less kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack
The most likely outcome if the student uses a 700-gram car instead is:
A 700-gram car would have more potential energy at point X and more kinetic energy at the bottom of the racetrack.
To determine the most likely outcome if the student uses a 700-gram car instead of a 500-gram car, we need to consider the energy changes in the system.
Kinetic energy is the energy associated with the motion of an object, while potential energy is the energy that an object possesses due to its position or condition.
From the given options, it states that a 700-gram car would have "less kinetic energy at point X and less potential energy at the bottom of the racetrack." This option suggests that increasing the mass of the car would result in a decrease in both kinetic and potential energy.
This makes sense because when we increase the mass of an object, its kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of its velocity (KE = 1/2 mv^2). So, if the velocity remains constant, increasing the mass will decrease the kinetic energy.
Similarly, the potential energy of an object depends on its height and mass (PE = mgh). If the height remains constant, increasing the mass will also result in a decrease in potential energy.
Therefore, the most likely outcome if the student uses a 700-gram car instead of a 500-gram car is that the 700-gram car would have "less kinetic energy at point X and less potential energy at the bottom of the racetrack."