If the potential energy of a ball decreases as it falls to the ground, what happens to its kinetic energy? How does this explain the law of conservation of energy?
As the potential energy of the ball decreases as it falls, its kinetic energy increases. This is because the potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy as the ball accelerates due to gravity.
This process demonstrates the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another. In this case, the total energy of the ball (the sum of its potential and kinetic energy) remains constant as it falls, even though the individual forms of energy may change. This principle applies to all systems in physics and helps explain the behavior of energy in various physical processes.