Olivia is on a swing at the playground.
A girl is swinging on a swing set. At W she is about 45 degrees up and to the left. At X she is near the bottom of the swing just to the left. At Y she is near the bottom of the swing just to the right. At Z she is about 45 degrees up and to the right.
If the swing is moving from W to Z, at which point is her kinetic energy increasing and her potential energy decreasing? (based on a starting point of W)
W
X
Y
Z
At point W, the swing is at its highest point on the left side, so the girl's potential energy is at its maximum and her kinetic energy is at its minimum. As she swings towards point Z, her potential energy gradually decreases as she moves closer to the bottom of the swing, and her kinetic energy gradually increases as her velocity increases.
Therefore, her kinetic energy is increasing and her potential energy is decreasing at point Z.