An object is dropped to the ground on earth or the moon. Which one releases the most energy on impact?

Gravitational potential energy is proportional to the force due to gravity times the distance the object is elevated above the ground, or another relevent surface. As the object falls, this potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, until it reaches the ground; at which point its potential energy is zero and its kinetic energy is maximal.





During the collision, the ground and the air around it absorb and convert the energy into vibrations, heat, sound, and possibly plastic deformation (denting) of the surface.





If the two objects are of equal wieght and are lifted an equal distance, the object dropped on the earth will ';release'; more energy because it had more potential energy to begin with.An object is dropped to the ground on earth or the moon. Which one releases the most energy on impact?
From rest at same heigth? If so - answer is earth as best illistrated from the fact that gravitational potential energy = (mass)x(gravitational constant)x(heigth). PE is converted to KE during fall and is the energy of the body just prior to impact (less losses). Gravitational constant of earth = 9.81 m/s^2 and for the moon is it 1.6 m/s^2.An object is dropped to the ground on earth or the moon. Which one releases the most energy on impact?
It is equal.
If it is the same object then it is the same amount of energy. Energy is determined by the mass of an object, not the gravity around it.








E=MC2
The potential energy of an object is defined by the equation:





E = m*g*h





where m is the object's mass, g the gravitational acceleration, and h is the distance above the ground. The two objects will have the same values for m and h, but the value for g on the moon is roughly one-sixth that of the earth. Therefore, the object dropped on the Earth will have the greatest potential energy.





Assuming the coefficient of restitution is the same for the both surfaces, and that the object has a low drag coefficient (i.e., no parachute-like device), the Earthbound object will release the most energy.
The energy would be greater on the Earth.





When the obect hits the ground it has released all its energy in the form of kinetic energy.





Kinetic energy is given by K = 1/2 m v^2





where K is the kinetic energy, m is the mass, and v is the velocity of the object. Intuitivly we know what v will be greater on Earth than the Moom because gravity is bringing the object down faster.





Further, by conservation of energy we know that the kinetic energy when the object hits the ground is equal to the potential energy before the object was released. The potential energy is given by E = m g h. Where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity and h is the height above the height which is determined to be zero potential (the ground in this case).





g is less on the moon than on Earth so the potential energy of the object would be less, and also the kinetic energy released upon impact would also be less.
the one on the earth. you wold pick up more energy from the earths gravity then from that on the moon
If I had to choose between dropping a bowling ball on my foot on the moon or on earth, I would choose earth as it would hurt less do to less energy. Wait I would choose the moon, never been there, it would be worth the pain!!!!!!!
earth, earth has more gravity so it comes down faster whick will realease more energy
Gravitational Potential = m * g * h





g is 6 times greater on the surface of the earth as it is on the surface of the moon, so for the same mass and height, you get more energy on the earth.
The object would pick up more energy upon earth, this is because earth has a greater mass and therefore greater gravitational constant in comparison to the moon. It must be though said that the object must be dropped from the same position relative to the ground. Say that the object is 1000m above the ground with a mass of 20kg, then the potential energy within the object would be, Ep=mgh=(20kg)(9.81m/s^2)(1000m)=196200J. When this object is dropped due to the law of conservation of mechanical energy, Mechanical Energy=Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy + Thermal Energy. The object would release no energy upon impact due to the law of the conservation of mechanical energy, but it is interesting and definite to note the presence of Thermal energy within the equation. All the 196200J would remain and be transformed mearly to kinetic(motion) energy when in movement and motion and no energy would be lost. But beacause of air resistance, air friction, newton';s first law stating the distraction of an object from its linear path by an unbalanced force. The unblanced forces in terms of air on earth(air friction) result in the loss of energy within the object. The conversion of kinetic energy to thermal, sound, elctrical and other forms of energy result in energy loss. As such the question should be reprashed to say, which object is most distracted by unbalanced forces within its linear path towards the ground, and the greater the quantity of disruptions result in the greater the loss of kinetic and potential energy to dispersed and nonconservative forms of energy such as thermal energy. As such the moon having an almost bare, insignificant and almost negligible atmosphere, it has the least amount of distraction of external force exerted upon the object upon its journey to the ground. As such within the moon there are much less unbalanced forces acting on the object within its journey directly resulting in less conversion of potential and kinetic energy to other forms of energy such as thermal. Yet another proof that there is less energy released upon impact by the object upon the moon is from the fact that after the object hits the ground it bounces up a distance much more than the object would when hitting the ground upon the earth. As such it states that the object had less kinetic energy converted to thermal dispersed energy on the moon and as such it still has enough motion enrgy left over after hitting the ground to displace itself up again more than it would after impact upon the ground within earth. As such within earth due to air resistance, other chemical atomic and atmospherical resistance upon the object on its journey to the ground. more energy is released by the object on its impact upon the ground and throughout the journey alike, these frictional and unbalanced forces convert the potential and kinetic energy to thermal energy much more than on the moon, as such it can be also explained why there is less motion(kinetic) energy left over in earth after the impact upon the ground resulting in less displacement of the object in a upward direction after impact.
The energy you are thinking of is called inertia which is mathematically derived as Mass * Velocity. If we were to assume that we are talking about dropping the same object from the same distance above ground, then the object dropped on earth would exert more force due to a higher gravitic pull. The earth has gravity nearly 6 times that of the moon, so if an object fell for the same amount of time on both earth and moon, the object on the earth would have 6 times the velocity as the object dropped on the moon.
my father would give me questions like this and most of the time the answers was obvious. So i will go with the one not obvious and say,the one on the moon because the impact is on hold. i really don't know.
All other things being equal, the energy released at impact would be greater on the earth. This is because it would take more energy to raise the object to a certain height on the earth than it would on the moon due to the Earth's stronger gravitational field.
Okay, I agree with Hammer-and-Feather guy (excelguru). Yes, the potential energy is greater on Earth, but the maximum velocity on earth (terminal velocity) is determined by the air drag if the initial height is high enough. Try skydiving on the moon, where there is no air, and tell me which one hurts more on the landing.
from the same height and same mass, the one on the earth.





KE=1/2mv^2





velocity at impact on earth would be greater than the moon
The earth. It's a gravity thing.
You guys are close, but wrong... it depends on what is being dropped.





If you're dropping a hammer, sure the stronger gravitation pull on Earth will result in a higher velocity on impact (more momentum) and more energy will be imparted.





However, if you drop a feather, the impact on Earth would result in a minuscule energy release because the feather's velocity would be greatly reduced by wind drag. On the moon, the feather would land with the same velocity as the hammer and would hence impart much more energy than it's Earth-bound sibling.





And what if you dropped a tiny piece of lint fuzz? You see what I mean?