How does the potential and kinetic energy of the ball change as the ball rolls down the hill? (1 point)
As the ball rolls down the hill, the potential energy decreases while the kinetic energy increases. This is because as the ball moves downhill, it loses height and therefore potential energy, while gaining speed and therefore kinetic energy.
As the ball rolls down the hill, the potential energy of the ball decreases while the kinetic energy increases. This can be explained by the conservation of mechanical energy. Initially, when the ball is at the top of the hill, it has a high potential energy due to its position above the ground. As the ball moves down the hill, the potential energy decreases because the height decreases. At the same time, the ball gains kinetic energy, which is the energy associated with its motion. The increase in kinetic energy is a result of the ball's velocity increasing as it moves downhill. The transfer of energy from potential to kinetic is consistent with the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.
To understand how the potential and kinetic energy of a ball changes as it rolls down a hill, we need to first understand what potential and kinetic energy are.
Potential energy refers to the energy stored in an object due to its position or condition. It is the energy that an object possesses by virtue of its position relative to other objects or forces acting upon it. In the case of a ball on top of a hill, it has potential energy because of its elevated position.
Kinetic energy, on the other hand, is the energy possessed by a moving object. It depends on the object's mass and its velocity. In simple terms, kinetic energy is the energy of motion.
When a ball rolls down a hill, it undergoes a change in potential and kinetic energy. As the ball starts to roll down the hill, potential energy decreases, and kinetic energy increases.
The decrease in potential energy is due to the ball moving to a lower position in the gravitational field. The higher the ball is on the hill, the higher its potential energy will be. As it rolls down, this potential energy is gradually converted into kinetic energy.
At the top of the hill, the ball has its maximum potential energy, and no kinetic energy. As it rolls down the hill, the potential energy decreases, but the ball gains more speed, which increases its kinetic energy. This is because the reduction in potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy.
Once the ball reaches the bottom of the hill, all of its initial potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy. At this point, the ball will have the maximum amount of kinetic energy and the minimum potential energy.
So, to summarize, as a ball rolls down a hill, its potential energy decreases, while its kinetic energy increases. This change occurs because gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the ball gains speed while rolling downhill.