A ball drops from 5 m. Assuming no air resistance, what happens to its energy?

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Prepare for the Year 10 Force and Motion Test. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions with clear hints and explanations to ensure success. Equip yourself for excellence on your exam!

Multiple Choice

A ball drops from 5 m. Assuming no air resistance, what happens to its energy?

Explanation:
As the ball falls, its gravitational potential energy decreases while its kinetic energy increases. In the absence of air resistance, no energy is lost to the surroundings, so the decrease in potential energy exactly equals the increase in kinetic energy. In other words, energy is being transferred from gravitational potential to kinetic energy as it drops. At the start all the energy is potential (mgh), and at the bottom it becomes kinetic ((1/2)mv^2), with total mechanical energy remaining constant. Heat isn’t produced in this ideal case.

As the ball falls, its gravitational potential energy decreases while its kinetic energy increases. In the absence of air resistance, no energy is lost to the surroundings, so the decrease in potential energy exactly equals the increase in kinetic energy. In other words, energy is being transferred from gravitational potential to kinetic energy as it drops. At the start all the energy is potential (mgh), and at the bottom it becomes kinetic ((1/2)mv^2), with total mechanical energy remaining constant. Heat isn’t produced in this ideal case.

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