What is meant by the conservation of energy?

Energy cannot be destroyed or created - it is always transferred between different objects in different forms. Hence, energy is 'conserved'. The most basic example is dropping a stationary rubber ball from a height h above the ground. The ball has a certain amount of 'gravitational potential energy', which when released, gets converted into kinetic energy, and so the ball moves. In the air, the ball collides with air molecules, causing friction, turning kinetic energy into heat energy. When the ball collides with the ground, the kinetic energy is converted into elastic energy (in deforming the ball) and sound energy (the sound of the bounce). This loss in energy to the ground, sound and the air is why the ball doesn't rise to the height it was dropped at.

JH
Answered by Jonathan H. Physics tutor

3938 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A 950 kg car accelerates from 0 to 33 m/s in 11 seconds. a) Calculate the acceleration of the car b) Calculate the force needed to produce this acceleration c) The car claims a top speed of 110 miles/hr. Explain why there must be a top speed for any car


If a box full of feathers and a box full of bricks were to be dropped at the same time and from the same height, which one would hit the ground first?


What is the power dissipated by a 12 Ohm resistor when 2A of current run through it?


How does heat transfer through convection work?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning