A science class goes to an amusement park to investigate potential and kinetic energy, which action best demonstrates potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy A. A bungee jumper is released at the top of the tower tower and starts to fall.B. A roller coaster slowly climb, the tower hill at the beginning of the ride c. I’m moving bumper car slams into another bumper car that is sitting still d. A fireworks rocket shoots upward into the night sky above the park.
A. A bungee jumper being released at the top of the tower and starting to fall best demonstrates potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy.
The action that best demonstrates potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy is option A: A bungee jumper being released at the top of the tower and starting to fall.
To understand why, let's first define potential and kinetic energy. Potential energy is the stored energy an object has due to its position or state. Kinetic energy, on the other hand, is the energy an object possesses due to its motion.
In option A, when the bungee jumper is released from the top of the tower, they have a high potential energy because they are at a significant height. As they start to fall, their potential energy decreases while their kinetic energy increases. This is because potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy as the bungee jumper accelerates downward.
In option B, a roller coaster slowly climbing a hill at the beginning of the ride, potential energy is being increased as the roller coaster gains height, but there is no immediate transformation into kinetic energy until the roller coaster starts to descend the hill.
In option C, when a moving bumper car slams into another bumper car sitting still, it does involve energy transfer, but it is not strictly a conversion between potential and kinetic energy. It is more related to the transfer of mechanical or kinetic energy between the two cars.
In option D, a fireworks rocket shooting upward into the night sky, the initial energy is chemical potential energy stored in the rocket. As the rocket ignites and propels upward, the chemical potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy and eventually into thermal and radiant energy as the fireworks explode. However, this demonstration does not specifically show the conversion from potential to kinetic energy.
Therefore, option A - the bungee jumper being released and starting to fall - is the best demonstration of potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy.