Question

Which situation shows potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy? A car stopped at a stoplight A flowerpot falling from a balcony A cow standing in a field A bicycle slowing down

Answer 1

The answer would be (option B) - When an object falls, its gravitational potential energy is changed to kinetic energy. You can use this relationship to calculate the speed of the object’s descent. Gravitational potential energy for a mass m at height h near the surface of the Earth is mgh more than the potential energy would be at height 0. (It’s up to you where you choose height 0.)

Answer 2

The answer is 
B) a flowerpot falling from a balcony.
This is the answer because potential energy is basically when something is standing still. Kinetic energy is the opposite, its when something is moving. So the flowerpot was still but something knocked it over and the potential energy was turned into kinetic energy. In option A, the kinetic energy is being turned into potential energy singe the car stopped moving. In option C, the cow is just storing potential energy and it is not being transformed into kinetic energy since the cow is not moving. Option D is not the answer because once again, this says the bike is slowing down, which means that the kinetic energy is decreasing and being turned into potential energy.