Question detail
When an object is projected upwards, what happens to its gravitational potential energy?
Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.
At a glance
MCQ
Type
practice
Style
Topic
Energy changes in a system, and the ways energy is stored before and after such changes
Question
- A. It decreases as kinetic energy increases
- B. It remains constant
- C. It increases as kinetic energy decreases
- D. It is converted to thermal energy
Answer
It increases as kinetic energy decreases
Explanation
The correct option is "It increases as kinetic energy decreases". It increases as kinetic energy decreases is right because it directly matches Changes in energy: Required practical: investigate the transfer of energy from a gravitational potential energy store to a kinetic energy store.. The other options are less suitable because they change the required Physics relationship, confuse the relevant energy store or use a distractor that does not answer the question.
Common mistake
Confusing gravitational potential energy with kinetic energy
Students often think that when an object falls, the energy it has is still gravitational potential energy rather than kinetic energy
Explain that as the object falls, gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy; at the moment of impact the energy is predominantly kinetic, with potential energy reduced to zero
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