Rita climbs a ladder to the top of a water slide, waits her turn, and then slides down the slide into a pool. Which series describes the energy changes of her actions? apotential → mechanical → kinetic bkinetic → mechanical → potential ckinetic → potential → kinetic dpotential → kinetic → potential
The correct series to describe the energy changes of Rita's actions is:
a) potential → mechanical → kinetic.
wrong
Apologies for the incorrect response. The correct series to describe the energy changes of Rita's actions is:
d) potential → kinetic → potential.
Rita starts with potential energy as she climbs the ladder to reach the top of the water slide. When she slides down the slide, her potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as she gains speed. Finally, when she reaches the pool at the bottom of the slide, her kinetic energy is converted back into potential energy as she comes to a stop in the pool.
The correct series that describes the energy changes of Rita's actions is:
dpotential → kinetic → potential
In this scenario, Rita starts at the bottom of the ladder, so she has no potential energy at that point. As she climbs the ladder, her potential energy increases because she is getting higher off the ground. So the first energy change is from potential energy (at the bottom of the ladder) to kinetic energy (while climbing up the ladder).
Next, Rita reaches the top of the ladder and waits her turn. During this time, she is not climbing or moving, so her kinetic energy is zero. However, she still retains potential energy due to her elevated position. The second energy change is from kinetic energy (zero) to potential energy (at the top of the slide).
Finally, Rita slides down the slide into the pool. As she slides down, her potential energy decreases because she is descending to a lower position. Simultaneously, her kinetic energy increases because she gains speed. The final energy change is from potential energy (at the top of the slide) to kinetic energy (while sliding down).
Therefore, the correct answer is: dpotential → kinetic → potential.