in each of the following case energy is being conver.ted from one form to another form?

Question

In some of these examples,energy is being converted from one place to another, while in other examples all the energy remains in the same place. Describe in some detail what happens to the energy when:

a) a falling rock gains speed as it falls
b)snow melts in the sunlight to become a puddle
c)food is digested in your stomach
d)a drunk driver crashes a speeding car into a brick wall
e)two super-fast moving protons collide head-on in the Stanford Linear

Answer 1

a) gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as it falls.

b)snow contains solid ice crystals with less energy , the sun heats the snow increasing the molecular kinetic( vibrational) energy and turns to liquid

c)energy is needed in the form of glucose to produce enzymes, these enzymes can then use available energy more efficiently to break molecular bonds.

d) kinetic energy is converted into mostly heat but also deformation, the metals will bend means there will be some energy is lost. Bricks will probably be displaced. The momentum of the car and the wall will remain the same.

e) kinetic energy - protons are positively charged so electrostatic energy must be overcome for the protons to interact. There will be some break down of atoms to produce quark pairs and other particles. The strong nuclear force or energy will be involved also.