Question

An object falling through the air, gaining speed as it falls a student claims that this create a new energy and so it breaks the law of conservation of energy. Which statement describes why the student is incorrect.

Answer 1

The student is incorrect because the increase in speed of the falling object does not result in the creation of new energy. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed from one form to another. In this scenario, as the object gains speed, its potential energy due to its height above the ground is converted into kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion. Therefore, the total energy of the system (object plus Earth) remains conserved.