Question

You hike up to the top of Granite Peak in the Trinity Alps to think about physics.

1. Do you have more potential or kinetic energy at the top of the mountain than you did at the bottom? Explain.
2. Do you have more, less, or the same amount of energy at the top of the mountain than when you started? (Let’s assume you did not eat anything on the way up.) Explain.
3. How has the total energy of the Solar System changed due to your hike up the mountain? Explain.
4. If you push a rock off the top, will it end up with more, less, or the same amount of energy at the bottom? Explain.
5. For each of the following types of energy, describe whether you gained it, you lost it, or it stayed the same during your hike:
   1. Gravitational potential energy
   2. Energy stored in the atomic nuclei in your body
   3. Heat energy
   4. Chemical potential energy stored in the fat cells in your body
   5. Sound energy from your footsteps
   6. Energy given to you by a wind blowing at your back

Answer 1

Here we apply energy conversion concept and conservation of total energy concept.