A raised cart has stored energy because of its height. As it goes down, that energy can become energy of motion. Some can also be transferred to heating. Add the height, motion and thermal energy bars: their total stays the same. Kinetic energy means energy of motion. Subtract energy transferred to heating from released height energy to find the motion energy. At a fixed drop, doubling mass doubles both released potential energy and kinetic energy in the loss-free model. It does not change the final speed because mass cancels from the energy equation. Greater drop increases final speed, but not in direct proportion: speed grows with the square root of drop.
Forces, motion and energy · Discover & try
Where does stored height energy go?
Reading level 4 of 5 · FluentChange
Word help
Potential energy
Energy associated with configuration, such as height in a gravitational field.
Kinetic energy
Energy associated with motion.
Thermal transfer
Energy transferred into internal motion rather than the cart’s bulk motion.
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See how it works
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Calculated energy accounting near Earth; selected loss fraction and schematic track are not a real ride design.
What to look for
- Height energy becomes motion energy; all three bars still add to the same total.
- The thermal bar grows and the cart ends slower, but energy has not vanished.
Explain what you noticed
A different cart releases 100 J of gravitational energy. If 25 J becomes thermal energy, how much becomes kinetic energy in this model?
Keep this idea: A decrease in gravitational potential energy can become kinetic energy and other energy forms.
Follow the sources
- OpenStax, Rice University — Gravitational Potential Energy
- OpenStax, Rice University — Mechanical Energy and Conservation of Energy
Source material checked 2026-10-29. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
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