Question

How does the total energy of the rollercoaster change as it moves through the track?

answer choices:

It increases as potential energy is converted to kinetic energy.

It decreases as kinetic energy is converted to potential energy.

It remains constant, ignoring friction.

it decreases due to friction.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

**It remains constant, ignoring friction.**

In an ideal scenario, where we ignore friction and air resistance, the total mechanical energy (the sum of potential energy and kinetic energy) of the rollercoaster remains constant as it moves through the track, due to the conservation of energy principle. As the rollercoaster goes up hills, its potential energy increases while its kinetic energy decreases, and as it goes down hills, the potential energy decreases while the kinetic energy increases, keeping the total energy constant.