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Which of the following equations defines the law of conservation of energy?

A. total energy = kinetic energy - potential energy
B. total energy = potential energy - kinetic energy
C. total energy = kinetic energy = potential energy
D. total energy = kinetic energy x potential energy

User Jacheson
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1 Answer

2 votes
NONE of those choices defines the law of conservation of energy,
and none even describes it. It's as if these choices belong to
a whole different question.

In fact, none of the choices is even a true statement by itself !

A statement that defines the law of conservation of energy
would have to say something like this:

The total amount of energy in any closed system is constant.
The total amount of energy after any event or process is the
same as the total amount was before it.
User Stevens Miller
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