While an Iron Block Near the Earth’s Surface is in Free Fall, It Undergoes an Increase in Kinetic Energy
An iron block near the Earth’s surface that is in free fall is a classic example of the law of conservation of energy. In this situation, the block is initially at rest and has no kinetic energy. As the block falls, it accelerates due to the force of gravity and, as a result, its kinetic energy increases.
The reason why the block’s kinetic energy increases is that, by Newton’s second law of motion, the net force acting on the block is equal to the mass of the block times its acceleration. The only net force acting on the block is due to gravity, and since the mass of the block is constant, the acceleration must be increasing. This increasing acceleration is what causes the block’s velocity, and thus its kinetic energy, to increase.
The amount of increase in kinetic energy experienced by the block can be calculated using the equation KE = (1/2)mv2, where m is the mass of the block and v is the velocity of the block. Since the mass of the block remains constant, the only variable that changes is the velocity. Thus, as the velocity increases, the kinetic energy of the block increases accordingly.
In summary, while an iron block near the Earth’s surface is in free fall, it undergoes an increase in kinetic energy due to the acceleration caused by the force of gravity. The increase in kinetic energy can be calculated using the equation KE = (1/2)mv2, where m is the mass of the block and v is the velocity of the block.