Answer:
Conversion from gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy
Explanation:
The two energies involved in the fall of the rock are:
- The Gravitational potential energy (GPE), which is the energy possessed by the rock due to its location. It is given by:
[tex]GPE=mgh[/tex]
where:
m is the mass of the rock
g is the acceleration of gravity
h is the height of the rock relative the ground
- The Kinetic energy (KE): it is the energy possessed by the rock due to its motion. It is given by:
[tex]KE=\frac{1}{2}mv^2[/tex]
where:
m is the mass of the rock
v is the speed of the rock
At the beginning, the rock is on top of the cliff, so it has only GPE (because its height h is different from zero), while its KE is zero because it is at rest (so, the speed is zero).
As the rock falls down, the GPE decreases (because the height h decreases), while its KE increases (because the speed increases).
Therefore: during the fall, the energy is converted from gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy.
