A body has a free fall from a height of 20 m. After falling through a distance of 5 m, the body would

A body in free fall experiences a conversion of gravitational potential energy (PE) into kinetic energy (KE) while total mechanical energy remains conserved. Gravitational potential energy is defined by the formula PE = mgh, where 'h' is the height above a reference point. Initially, at a height of 20 m, the body possesses its maximum potential energy. After falling through a distance of 5 m, the body's new height is 15 m (20 m - 5 m). The loss in potential energy is calculated as mg(20 - 15) = mg(5). Since the initial potential energy was mg(20), the loss of 5 m represents exactly 5/20, or one-fourth, of the initial potential energy. Consequently, the body loses one-fourth of its potential energy, which is converted into kinetic energy, while the total energy remains constant throughout the fall.