a student is riding a school bus. the bus stops as the driver applies the breaks. which of these statements best describes this situation.
a force is changing the motion of the bus.
there is no force acting on the bus so it stops moving.
the bus is gaining energy because of friction.
the school bus does not lose or gain kinetic energy.
The best statement that describes this situation is: A force is changing the motion of the bus.
The statement "a force is changing the motion of the bus" best describes this situation. When the driver applies the brakes, the friction between the brakes and the wheels of the bus creates a force that opposes the forward motion of the bus, causing it to slow down and eventually stop.
The correct statement that best describes this situation is:
"A force is changing the motion of the bus."
Explanation:
When the bus stops as the driver applies the brakes, there is actually a force involved in changing the motion of the bus. This force is provided by the brakes, which apply a frictional force to slow down the bus.
The motion of the bus is initially in the forward direction, but as the brakes are applied, the force of friction between the brakes and the wheels opposes the motion of the bus, eventually bringing it to a stop.
Therefore, it is incorrect to say that there is no force acting on the bus or that the bus is gaining energy because of friction. The force of friction is actually causing a decrease in the bus's kinetic energy, bringing it to a stop.
So, the statement "the school bus does not lose or gain kinetic energy" is also incorrect. The bus does lose kinetic energy as it comes to a stop due to the work done by the force of friction.