Kinetic versus potential skydiver | ProblemA skydiver jumps out of a perfectly good airplane. As she gets closer to Earth’s surface, would you expect her potential and kinetic energy to increase or decrease? Ignore air resistance in this case. Group of answer choicesPotential energy increases, kinetic energy increases up to a constant value.Potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases.Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy decreases.Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increasesPotential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases up to a constant value.
Question
Kinetic versus potential skydiver | ProblemA skydiver jumps out of a perfectly good airplane. As she gets closer to Earth’s surface, would you expect her potential and kinetic energy to increase or decrease? Ignore air resistance in this case. Group of answer choicesPotential energy increases, kinetic energy increases up to a constant value.Potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases.Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy decreases.Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increasesPotential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases up to a constant value.
Solution
The correct answer is: Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases.
Here's why:
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Potential Energy: This is the energy an object has due to its position relative to other objects. In this case, as the skydiver falls towards the Earth, she is moving away from the high position she was in when she jumped out of the plane. Therefore, her potential energy decreases.
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Kinetic Energy: This is the energy an object has due to its motion. As the skydiver falls, her speed increases (since we're ignoring air resistance). Therefore, her kinetic energy increases.
Similar Questions
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