Final answer:
The reading of the scale for the bowling ball at the lowest point would be zero due to weightlessness as it is in free fall. The speed of the bowling ball when it reaches the ground is calculated using the conversion of gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy and is found to be 10 m/s. This speed does not depend on the mass of the bowling ball.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a bowling ball is at its lowest point just before hitting the ground (after being dropped from a height), its potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy. The scale reading in this scenario would be zero, as the ball would be in a state of free fall, experiencing a scale reading equivalent to weightlessness. To find the speed of the bowling ball when it reaches the ground, we use the formula for gravitational potential energy (PE) and kinetic energy (KE):
PE = m × g × h, where 'm' is the mass of the ball, 'g' is the acceleration due to gravity, and 'h' is the height from which it falls. When the bowling ball falls from a height of 5 m with g ≈ 10 m/s², its potential energy is PE = 10 kg × 10 m/s² × 5 m = 500 J (joules).
Just before the bowling ball hits the ground, all of its potential energy has been converted into kinetic energy, and we can use the formula KE = ½ m × v² to find the ball's speed. Solving for velocity 'v', we get v = √(2 × KE / m). Substituting the potential energy for KE gives us v = √(2 × 500 J / 10 kg) = √(100 m²/s²) = 10 m/s. The mass cancels out, indicating that the speed just before impact does not depend on the mass of the bowling ball.