Question

If you make a pendulum in the real world, eventually it will stop swinging. Using the law of conservation of energy, explain what happened to its energy and why it stopped.

Answer 1

The pendulum stops swinging because the energy is gradually lost due to the presence of nonconservative forces, such as friction and air resistance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pendulum stops swinging because the energy is gradually lost due to the presence of nonconservative forces, such as friction and air resistance. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only change form. In the case of a pendulum, its initial energy is converted from potential energy (when it is released from its highest point) to kinetic energy as it swings back and forth. However, due to the presence of nonconservative forces, some of this energy is transformed into other forms and is eventually dissipated, causing the pendulum to stop.