When energy transforms from potential to kinetic, which principle applies?

When energy transforms from potential to kinetic, which principle applies?

• A. Conservation of energy
• B. Newton's first law
• C. Conservation of momentum
• D. Hooke's law

Answer: (A)

Energy can change from potential to kinetic while the total amount of energy stays the same. This is conservation of energy: in a system with negligible nonconservative losses, the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy remains constant as energy shifts from stored to motion energy. For example, a falling object converts gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy, with their total unchanged from the start to any point along the fall. The other ideas describe different principles: inertia and motion without net force, the behavior of colliding bodies and momentum, or the force-energy relationship in springs. The unifying idea here is that energy can change form, but the total energy is conserved.

Energy can change from potential to kinetic while the total amount of energy stays the same. This is conservation of energy: in a system with negligible nonconservative losses, the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy remains constant as energy shifts from stored to motion energy. For example, a falling object converts gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy, with their total unchanged from the start to any point along the fall. The other ideas describe different principles: inertia and motion without net force, the behavior of colliding bodies and momentum, or the force-energy relationship in springs. The unifying idea here is that energy can change form, but the total energy is conserved.