Final answer:
The maximum amount of mechanical energy converted to internal energy during the fall of the baseball, when dropped from a height of 10 meters and ignoring air resistance, is the initial potential energy minus the kinetic energy just before impact, which amounts to 2.7 joules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the maximum amount of mechanical energy converted to internal energy as a 1.47-newton baseball falls from a height of 10 meters. To determine this, we can use the conservation of mechanical energy principle, which states that the total mechanical energy (potential energy + kinetic energy) in an isolated system remains constant provided there is no net external force like air resistance doing work.
In this case, ignoring air resistance, the total mechanical energy at the beginning is equal to the gravitational potential energy of the baseball when it is at the height of 10 meters. The gravitational potential energy (PE) can be calculated using the formula PE = mgh, where 'm' is the mass of the object in kilograms, 'g' is the acceleration due to gravity (≈ 9.8 m/s²), and 'h' is the height in meters.
To find the mass in kilograms, we convert the weight (1.47 newtons) into mass using the equation Weight = mass x gravity (W=mg). With g as 9.8 m/s², the mass 'm' would be 1.47 N / 9.8 m/s² = 0.15 kg. Using the potential energy formula, PE would be 0.15 kg * 9.8 m/s² * 10 m = 14.7 joules.
Since the total mechanical energy is conserved and the ball has 12.0 joules of kinetic energy just before it strikes the ground, the maximum amount of mechanical energy converted to internal energy is the total mechanical energy minus the kinetic energy before impact, which is 14.7 joules - 12.0 joules = 2.7 joules.