A body is falling freely under the action of gravity alone...

A body is falling freely under the action of gravity alone in vacuum. Which of the following quantities remain constant during the fall? [NCERT Exemplar]
(a) Kinetic energy
(b) Potential energy
(c) Total mechanical energy
(d) Total linear energy

Labs

Want to see this concept in action?

NEW

Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.

View Labs

Key Concepts

Free Fall Under Gravity

This concept refers to the motion of an object falling solely under the influence of gravity, with no other forces (like air resistance) acting on it. In a vacuum, the acceleration due to gravity is constant, leading to a predictable increase in velocity over time.

Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion, given by the expression (1/2)mv². During free fall, as the object’s speed increases, its kinetic energy continuously increases rather than remaining constant.

Gravitational Potential Energy

Gravitational potential energy is the energy an object has due to its position in a gravitational field, typically expressed as mgh near the Earth's surface. In free fall, since the height decreases, gravitational potential energy decreases continuously.

Conservation of Mechanical Energy

Conservation of mechanical energy is the principle stating that in the absence of non-conservative forces (like friction or air resistance), the total mechanical energy (the sum of kinetic and potential energies) remains constant throughout the motion. This concept is pivotal because, despite the individual changes in kinetic and gravitational potential energies as an object falls, their sum remains unchanged.

Transcript

Please give Ace some feedback