Question

in an investigation of potential and kinetic energy a student stands at the top of a hill and pushes a ball down the hill as shown.
how does the potential and kinetic energy of the ball change has the ball rolls down the hill.

Answer 1

As the student pushes the ball down the hill, the potential energy of the ball decreases while its kinetic energy increases.

Potential energy is the energy that an object possesses due to its position or height above the ground. In this scenario, at the top of the hill, the ball has the highest potential energy because it is at its highest position. As the ball rolls down the hill, its height decreases, and therefore, its potential energy decreases as well.

On the other hand, kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion. As the ball rolls down the hill, its speed and motion increase. The increase in speed results in an increase in the ball's kinetic energy.

Therefore, as the ball rolls down the hill, its potential energy decreases while its kinetic energy increases.