Statement : All systems have a tendency to become stable by losing their potential energy.

Statement 2: A light hot air balloon rises above and tends to increase its potential energy.

PLS EXPLAIN THIS CONTRADICTION...!

ANSWER WILL SURELY BE APPROVED

both are correct but 1st is not the correct explanation of 2

we can say that any system tends to be stable by losing its potential energy but we should not forget the law of interconversion or conservation of energy. here potential energy rising is not the own tendency of the system. the air inside balloon is lighter than outside and hence pressure does work in making the system go upwards. this work done is stored in the form of balloons'' potential energy. this is even in veiw of ist law of thermodynamics that a work or mechanical movement can''t be produced unless and until some other form of energy is consumed. here work is done by the gas inside the balloon against the viscous frictional force and against the external pressure of the gas which ultimately rises the potential energy of thr gas in accordance with steady flow state equation. although it is true the the tendency of motion of a sytem is so as to decrease its potential energy but it is the self or own tendency of a system. an external variation w.r.t system always is accompanied by change in energy of the system and then we cant restrict our thinking only to the equilibrium. here also the movement of the balloon upwards is causing the effect of force to minimise.

no idea

c potential energy is not mgh value foe every case. i agree tat v define potential enery as mgh in work and energy chapter which is true, but potential energy is defined as the energy difference between the energy of an object in a given position and its energy at a reference position. in each case the reference point is the point wer the body is in eqilibrium. in case of the hot air balloon, the density of the hot air is less than the density of the air present outside hence it tends to push the balloon up till the density of the hot air and the air outside aren''t equal. this is the reference point for potential energy. v may say that its increasing its potential energy, but it actually is decreasing its potential energy.

hope my words will clear ur doubts,

regards,

Shiddhant Bhattacharya