A book is at rest on a flat table. A person gives the book a shove and it slides across the table. The book eventually comes to rest again near the edge of the table. How does the potential and kinetic energy change during this process? (1 point)

Question

The potential and kinetic energy are the same while the book is sitting on the table.
They both increase when the book is shoved and then decrease as the book comes to rest again.
The potential energy will stay the same as long as the book stays on the table.
The kinetic energy increases when the book is shoved and then gradually decreases as it slides across the table and then comes to rest on the edge.The potential stays the same since the book is on the table. The kinetic energy stays the same since the book was only shoved.
The potential energy increases as the book is pushed across the table. The kinetic energy stays the same since the book was shoved.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

The potential energy will stay the same as long as the book stays on the table. The kinetic energy increases when the book is shoved and then gradually decreases as it slides across the table and then comes to rest on the edge.

Here's why:

• When the book is at rest on the table, it has potential energy relative to a lower surface (the floor, for instance) but not related to any vertical movement since it remains on the table.
• When the person gives the book a shove, the kinetic energy of the book increases due to the force applied to it.
• As the book slides across the table, it loses kinetic energy due to friction until it eventually comes to rest again.
• The potential energy remains constant as long as the book stays at the same height on the table.

In summary, the potential energy remains constant, while the kinetic energy increases initially with the shove and then decreases as the book comes to rest due to friction.