- #1
rishch
- 106
- 1
I was recently thinking about potential energy and I came to two conclusions which contradict each other-
1)When a body is falling from a height, the force of gravity is acting on it in the downwards direction. There is displacement in the downwards direction. So as the force and the displacement are in the same direction, some amount of positive work is done on it.
2)When the same body is falling, the potential energy of the body is converted into kinetic energy and the total energy of the ball remains constant. So that means that no work is being done on it.
So in one case there is positive work while in the other no work. How? What's wrong in my reasoning.Please keep the answers as simple as possible because I'm still in secondary school, and won't be able to understand a highly complicated answer. So please keep it as simple as possible.
1)When a body is falling from a height, the force of gravity is acting on it in the downwards direction. There is displacement in the downwards direction. So as the force and the displacement are in the same direction, some amount of positive work is done on it.
2)When the same body is falling, the potential energy of the body is converted into kinetic energy and the total energy of the ball remains constant. So that means that no work is being done on it.
So in one case there is positive work while in the other no work. How? What's wrong in my reasoning.Please keep the answers as simple as possible because I'm still in secondary school, and won't be able to understand a highly complicated answer. So please keep it as simple as possible.