Study the scenario.

Question

An isolated system includes a girl, a slide, and the Earth. The girl is initially at the top of a slide, storing 100 J of gravitational energy.

As the girl slides down the frictionless slide, what happens to the total energy of the system?

Responses

The isolated system stores slightly less than 100 J of total energy as some of it is converted to heat as the girl slides.
The isolated system stores slightly less than 100 J of total energy as some of it is converted to heat as the girl slides.

The total energy of the isolated system decreases to 0 once the girl reaches the bottom of the slide.
The total energy of the isolated system decreases to 0 once the girl reaches the bottom of the slide.

The isolated system stores 100 J of total energy, but it is converted to a different form of energy.
The isolated system stores 100 J of total energy, but it is converted to a different form of energy.

The total energy of the isolated system increases to more than 100 J of energy as energy is released as the girl slides down the slide.

Answer 1

None of the above options accurately represent what happens to the total energy of the isolated system. According to the law of conservation of energy, the total energy of an isolated system remains constant. As the girl slides down the slide, her gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, and the total energy of the system remains at 100 J (the sum of the girl's potential and kinetic energies). There is no energy released or lost to heat in an ideal frictionless system. Therefore, the correct response is: The total energy of the isolated system remains constant at 100 J.