Energy conservation with nonconservative forces: A ball drops some distance and loses 30 J of gravitational potential energy. Do NOT ignore air resistance. How much kinetic energy did the ball gain?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nonconservative forces, such as air resistance, can do work on an object and reduce its mechanical energy. Therefore, the ball must have lost some mechanical energy due to air resistance. The energy lost is equal to the amount of work done by the nonconservative force, which is 30 J. Therefore, the ball must have gained less than 30 J of kinetic energy, as some of the energy was lost to air resistance.

Energy Conservation with Nonconservative Forces: a Ball Drops Some Distance