What happened to the potential energy of an object as it begins to fall? What effort does this have on the mechanical energy?
The potential energy decreases as the kinetic energy increases.
Ignoring air drag, the total mechanical (potential + kinetic) energy remains constant.
When an object begins to fall, its potential energy decreases. This is because potential energy is associated with the height of an object above the ground. As the object falls, its height decreases, resulting in a decrease in potential energy.
To understand this better, let's consider the concept of gravitational potential energy. Gravitational potential energy is the energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. The formula to calculate gravitational potential energy is:
Potential Energy (PE) = m * g * h
where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the object.
As an object falls, its height decreases (h decreases). Since all other values in the equation remain constant, the potential energy of the object decreases as well. This decrease in potential energy is due to the conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. As the object falls, its kinetic energy increases.
Now, regarding the mechanical energy, it remains constant in an ideal, frictionless system. Mechanical energy is the sum of potential energy and kinetic energy. As the potential energy decreases, the kinetic energy increases by an equal amount, keeping the total mechanical energy constant. This conservation of mechanical energy is known as the law of conservation of energy.
In real-world scenarios, there may be other factors like air resistance that can affect the mechanical energy. However, on a basic level, the decrease in potential energy is offset by the increase in kinetic energy, maintaining the overall mechanical energy of the falling object.