A pendulum swings from its highest point to its lowest point. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the energy at the lowest point?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks about the energy state of a pendulum at its lowest point in its swing. To reason through the options, start by recalling the energy transformations in a simple pendulum under gravity with negligible air resistance: mechanical energy is conserved and shifts between kinetic energy (KE) and gravitational potential energy (PE).
Option A: 'Potential energy is at its maximum, and kinetic energy is zero.' At the lowest point, the pendulum is at the lowest vertical height, so its gravitational potential energy is minimized (not maximal), and it is moving, so its kinetic energy is not zero. Therefore this option misstates the energy distribution.
Option B: 'Kinetic energy is at its maximum, and potential energy is zero.' At the bottom, the speed is greatest, so KE is indeed at a maximum. As for potential energy, while the PE is the lowest in the swing, saying it is 'zero' depends on the chosen reference level. If we set the PE at the lowest point as zero, then this statement correctly describes the energy state. In typical physics problems, PE is taken as zero at the lowest point for convenience, making KE maximal and PE zero there. This aligns with the standard energy conservation picture.
Option C: 'Both kinetic and potential energies are equal.' This would imply a specific energy distribution where KE equals PE. That occurs at certain points in a pendulum’s path, but not generally at the lowest point, where KE is maximal and PE is minimal, not equal except in a particular energy setup which is not defined here.
Option D: 'There is no mechanical energy present as it is all converted to heat.' In an idealized, frictionless pendulum, mechanical energy is conserved and neither heat nor non-conservative losses are considered. Thus this statement is incorrect for an ideal pendulum, though real systems do experience minor losses.
In summary, option A incorrectly assigns potential energy dominance and a stationary state at the bottom; option C wrongly asserts equal split of energies at the bottom; option D contradicts energy conservation in an ideal case; option B correctly captures that the pendulum has maximum kinetic energy at the lowest point (with potential energy minimized, and commonly taken as zero at that point in standard analysis).

SP25-BL-PHYS-P120-12246 2_1_8_Quiz

A pendulum swings from its highest point to its lowest point. Which of the following statements is correct regarding the energy at the lowest point?

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