Question

A bungee jumper who is about to jump has her energy stored entirely as gravitational potential energy. After jumping she bounces up and down on the elastic bungee cord. what has happened to her initial gravitational potential energy when she reaches the bottom of this motion the first time after she jumps?

A. Most of her initial energy has been converted to kinetic energy.

B. Most of her initial energy has been converted to potential energy stored in the bungee cord.

C. Most of her initial energy has been depleted due to friction and air resistance.

D. Most of her initial energy has been converted back to gravitational potential energy.

Answer 1

Answer: D. Most of her initial energy has been converted back to gravitational potential energy. As she falls, her gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. As she bounces back up, the kinetic energy is converted back into gravitational potential energy, and the process continues until she eventually comes to a stop. Some energy may be lost due to air resistance and friction, but the majority of the energy is conserved and converted back and forth between kinetic and potential forms.