What is happening to total energy as the ball is falling?(1 point)
Responses
Total energy is decreasing.
Total energy is decreasing.
Total energy is increasing.
Total energy is increasing.
Total energy is staying the same.
Total energy is staying the same.
It is impossible to tell.
Total energy is decreasing.
The correct answer is: Total energy is staying the same.
The correct answer is: Total energy is staying the same.
When a ball falls, its total energy remains constant. This is due to the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transferred or transformed from one form to another.
As the ball falls, its potential energy decreases, as it is getting closer to the ground and its height above the ground is decreasing. At the same time, its kinetic energy increases, as it gains speed and its motion becomes more energetic.
However, the sum of the ball's potential energy and kinetic energy at any given moment remains constant. As potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases by the same amount, keeping the total energy constant.
Therefore, while the individual forms of energy (potential and kinetic) change, the total energy of the ball remains the same as it falls.