Question

A ball falls from a shelf. Assuming there is no friction, why is the
conservation of mechanical energy independent of mass? (1 point)
Mass is eliminated when equating gravitational
potential energy with kinetic energy.
The displacement of the ball is insignificant compared
with Earth's size.
The mass of the ball is insignificant compared with the
mass of Earth.
Mass is eliminated when equating elastic potential
energy with kinetic energy.

Answer 1

The conservation of mechanical energy is independent of mass because when equating gravitational potential energy with kinetic energy, the mass of the object cancels out in the equations. Therefore, the mass of the object does not affect the conservation of mechanical energy in this scenario.