Question

An object that has 100 joules of potential energy at the top of a ramp yields 100 joules of kinetic energy at the bottom of the ramp. However, when an experiment is performed 100 joules of potential only yields 80 joules of kinetic at the bottom of the ramp. How is the energy lost? Does this violate the conservation of energy? A) This does violate the conservation of energy because 20 joules of energy are lost. B) This violates the conservation of energy because some energy is lost to its surroundings. C) The experiment must be flawed because there must be 100 joules of kinetic energy at the bottom. D) This does not violate the conservation of energy, because the other 20 joules are converted into heat.

Answer 1

Answer is D. This does not violate the conservation of energy, because the other 20 joules are converted into heat.

The 20 joules were converted because of friction; it can't just go into a vacuum.