## A Bungee Jumper Just Before She Leaps Has ______ Energy
**Introduction**
Bungee jumping is an exhilarating activity that involves jumping from a high structure with an elastic cord attached to the jumper’s ankles. The cord stretches as the jumper falls, and the energy stored in the cord is released as the jumper rebounds back up. The amount of energy stored in the cord depends on a number of factors, including the jumper’s mass, the height of the jump, and the elasticity of the cord.
**Types of Energy**
There are two main types of energy involved in bungee jumping: gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Gravitational potential energy is the energy stored in an object due to its position in a gravitational field. Elastic potential energy is the energy stored in a deformed elastic object.
**Gravitational Potential Energy**
When the bungee jumper is at the top of the jump, she has a certain amount of gravitational potential energy. The amount of gravitational potential energy is equal to the jumper’s mass times the acceleration due to gravity times the height of the jump.
**Elastic Potential Energy**
As the bungee jumper falls, the cord stretches. The amount of stretch depends on the jumper’s mass and the height of the jump. The more the cord stretches, the more elastic potential energy is stored in the cord.
**At the Moment of Leap**
Just before the bungee jumper leaps, she has both gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. The amount of gravitational potential energy depends on the height of the jump, and the amount of elastic potential energy depends on the stretch of the cord.
**What Happens When the Jumper Leaps?**
When the bungee jumper leaps, she begins to fall. As she falls, the cord stretches further and the elastic potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy is the energy of motion. The jumper continues to fall until the cord reaches its maximum stretch. At this point, the jumper’s kinetic energy is converted back into elastic potential energy. The jumper then rebounds back up towards the jump platform.
**Conclusion**
The amount of energy stored in the cord depends on a number of factors, including the jumper’s mass, the height of the jump, and the elasticity of the cord. At the moment of leap, the bungee jumper has both gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. As the jumper falls, the elastic potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy is then converted back into elastic potential energy as the jumper rebounds back up.