question_answer 33)

A freely falling object eventually stops on reaching the ground. What happens to its kinetic energy?

Answer:

When a freely falling body eventually stops on reaching the ground, its kinetic energy appears in the from of: (i) heat (the body and the ground become warmer due to collision). (ii) sound (produced due to collision of the body with the ground). (iii) potential energy of configuration of the body and the ground (the body may be deformed and the ground may be depressed at the place of collision). This process in which the kinetic energy of a freely falling body is lost in an unproductive chain of energy changes is called dissipation of energy.