Question

A ball rolls up a ramp until it stops and turns around. It then rolls back down. At what position is its potential energy the greatest?

when it reaches the highest point on the ramp

when it is traveling fast at the bottom of the ramp heading up

as it slows down halfway up the ramp

as it speeds back up, heading back down the ramp

Answer 1

when it reaches the highest point on the ramp

Answer 2

Potential energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its position relative to a reference line. Potential energy is given as

PE = mgh

where m = mass of the object

g = acceleration due to gravity

h = height from the reference line.

from the formula , we see that potential energy is directly proportional to the height. hence greater the height, larger will be the potential energy.

hence the potential energy is greatest when

when it reaches the highest point on the ramp