Rain on a Cart 3

Suppose rain falls vertically into an open cart rolling along a straight horizontal track with negligible friction. As a result of the accumulating water, the kinetic energy decreases. Where does the energy go?

A) Potential Energy

B) Heat

C) Thermal Energy

D) Other

E) Can't tell or not enough information

Solution: C. The macroscopic kinetic energy gets converted to microscopic potential and kinetic energy (thermal energy) of the water and cart. The molecules vibrate and move more quickly. This energy may dissipate to the environment in time, so B is also a plausible answer.