physics question

Question

A 10 kg bowling ball sits at the top of a 10 m hill and then slides down its icy hillside.

What is the bowling ball’s mechanical energy at the bottom of the hill?

Answer 1

At the top of the hill the total mechanical energy is given by the sum of the kinetic energy E_k and the potential energy E_p. In particular, the kinetic energy at the top of the hill is zero (the ball is still, so v=0) , and the potential energy is mgh=10*9,81*10N=981N

Since the energy is conserved, at the bottom of the hill the total mechanical energy will be 981 N.

However, at the bottom of the hill all potential energy will be converted into kinetic energy.

Best,

Davide