A freely falling object eventually stops on reaching the ground. What happened to its kinetic energy?
Answer
When a freely falling body falls, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.
As it hits the ground, it’s kinetic energy is converted into
- Heat Energy - Heat is generated in the object and the ground
- Sound Energy - Sound is produced when object falls into the ground
- Transferred to the ground/earth - It can also deform the ground and transfer some energy to the ground