What is the mathematical relationship between total energy before and after a transformation?

What is the mathematical relationship between total energy before and after a transformation?

• A. It is always less after
• B. It remains the same
• C. It always increases
• D. It is equal to the work done

Answer: (B)

In mechanics, the principle of conservation of energy states that the total energy in an isolated system remains constant throughout any transformation. This means that when energy changes form—such as from kinetic energy to potential energy or when energy is transformed during a collision—the total amount of energy before the transformation will equal the total amount of energy after the transformation, assuming no energy is lost to external factors like friction or air resistance. This principle is foundational in physics, and it applies across countless scenarios, illustrating that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but merely transferred or transformed. Therefore, the mathematical relationship that represents this principle is that the total energy before a transformation is equal to the total energy after the transformation, thus confirming that it remains the same.

In mechanics, the principle of conservation of energy states that the total energy in an isolated system remains constant throughout any transformation. This means that when energy changes form—such as from kinetic energy to potential energy or when energy is transformed during a collision—the total amount of energy before the transformation will equal the total amount of energy after the transformation, assuming no energy is lost to external factors like friction or air resistance.

This principle is foundational in physics, and it applies across countless scenarios, illustrating that energy is neither created nor destroyed, but merely transferred or transformed. Therefore, the mathematical relationship that represents this principle is that the total energy before a transformation is equal to the total energy after the transformation, thus confirming that it remains the same.