Since the feather and the bowling ball are dropped from the same height in a vacuum, the only force acting on them is gravity. In this case, the only form of energy involved is gravitational potential energy, which is converted into kinetic energy as the objects fall.
As the objects fall, the total mechanical energy (sum of gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy) remains constant, as there is no other external force acting on them to do work or change their energy. Therefore, the graph showing the total mechanical energy of the bowling ball as it falls should be a horizontal line.
Response: The correct graph is the one that shows a horizontal line.
A feather and a bowling ball are each dropped from an equal height in a vacuum and land at the same time. Which graph shows the total mechanical energy of the bowling ball as it falls?
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