Question

Which of the following events is most conveniently described (solved) with Conservation of Mechanical Energy?

a) A car skids to a stop on a hill.
b) A bullet hits a block sitting on ice (no friction) and sticks in it.
c) A block slides up an icy slope (no friction).
d) A spaceship explodes into two pieces in deep space

Answer 1

The correct answer is C.) The block sliding up an icy slope (option c) is most conveniently described by the Conservation of Mechanical Energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The event that is most conveniently described by the Conservation of Mechanical Energy is the block sliding up an icy slope (option c). In this scenario, there is no friction, so the only forces acting on the block are gravity and its own weight.

The Conservation of Mechanical Energy states that the sum of an object's kinetic energy and potential energy remains constant in the absence of non-conservative forces.

In the case of the block sliding up the icy slope, its initial kinetic energy is converted into potential energy as it gains height, and then this potential energy is converted back into kinetic energy as the block slides back down.