What happens as the roller coaster car travels from Point A to Point B?
A.
The car's gravitational potential energy decreases and is lost permanently from the system.
B.
The car's kinetic energy decreases and is lost permanently from the system.
C.
The car's kinetic energy is transformed into gravitational potential energy.
D.
The car's gravitational potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy.
1 answer
As the roller coaster car travels from Point A to Point B, typically, the car is descending, which means it is losing height. As it loses height, the gravitational potential energy decreases and is converted into kinetic energy as the car speeds up.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
D. The car's gravitational potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy.
