Question

A girl is shown at position A on a swing when the seat is directly below the support bar. The seat is then at height A as shown by a grey arrow and grey line. When she swings up and to the right to position B when the seat is at height B as shown by a grey arrow and grey line.
At which position, A or B, is the potential energy of the swing the greatest?


As the swing moves from point B to point A, which form of energy is increasing, kinetic or potential?

Answer 1

Potential energy is greatest at B (PE = mgh, and B is higher than A).
As the swing moves from B down to A, potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, so the kinetic energy is increasing (PE decreases).