Question

25 multiple choice 1 point
a snowball thrown at an ice cream truck at valley forge in january sticks to the side. into what form of energy was the mechanical energy changed?
thermal energy
rest energy
elastic energy
chemical energy

Explanation:

When the snowball sticks to the side of the truck, there is friction between the snowball and the truck. Friction causes the mechanical energy (kinetic energy of the moving snowball) to be converted into thermal energy (heat due to the friction). Rest energy is related to mass - energy equivalence (\(E = mc^{2}\)) and not relevant here. Elastic energy is stored in objects that can be deformed elastically (like a spring), which is not the case. Chemical energy is related to chemical reactions, which are not occurring in this simple sticking process.

Answer:

thermal energy