Conservation in Dynamite Explosion

[stl]

6. Which of the following is NOT conserved when a stick of dynamite explodes?



a Internal (chemical potential energy)
b. Total energy
c. Mass
d. Electric charge
e. None of the above. They are all conserved.



My best guess is none of the above because chemical potential energy merely rearranges the position of atoms, energy can not be created nor destroyed, mass cannot be created or destroyed, and the total amount of positive charge minus the total amount of negative charge of an isolated system does not change.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me become a little better!

 

[BiGyElLoWhAt]

Is potential energy ITSELF always conserved?

If I drop a ball from height h and it hits the ground, what's the potential energy before I drop it and after it hits the ground?

 

[HallsofIvy]

The last one "None of the above. They are all conserved" is self-contradictory so that can't be right!

Yes, there is a law of conservation of total energy, a law of conservation of mass, and a law of conservation of charge. There is no "law of conservation of potential energy".

 

[jim hardy]

... because chemical potential energy merely rearranges the position of atoms,

i think poor grammar has muddled your thinking .

that sentence doesn't parse.

Verb 'rearranges' implies action
where's the corresponding verb implying action in the phrase

chemical potential energy

? I see two adjectives and a noun.

Potential energy is the ability to do something, not the doing of something.
Where's the verb ?

 

[HalfLostAndSearching]

Your response is correct. In a dynamite explosion, all of the listed factors are conserved. The internal chemical potential energy of the dynamite is converted into kinetic energy as the explosive particles move apart, and the total energy of the system remains the same. The mass of the particles may change due to chemical reactions, but the total mass of the system remains constant. Electric charge is also conserved, as the number of positive and negative charges in the system does not change.