c. When are kinetic energy and potential energy equal in magnitude (equal in amount)?(1 point)

Responses

They are equal at every position.
They are equal at every position.

They are equal half-way between the top position and the bottom position.
They are equal half-way between the top position and the bottom position.

They are equal at the bottom position.
They are equal at the bottom position.

They are equal at the top position.

3 answers

Kinetic energy and potential energy are equal in magnitude when you are half-way between the top position and the bottom position. Therefore, the correct response is:

They are equal half-way between the top position and the bottom position.

are you sure

Yes, I can confirm that statement. In a typical scenario involving gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy, such as an object in free fall or a pendulum swing, the two forms of energy can be analyzed as follows:

  • At the top position, the potential energy is at its maximum, and the kinetic energy is zero.
  • As the object descends, potential energy decreases while kinetic energy increases.
  • At the bottom position, the potential energy is at its minimum (zero if at ground level), and the kinetic energy is at its maximum.

At a point halfway between the top and bottom positions, the potential energy is typically equal to the kinetic energy due to the conservation of mechanical energy. This relationship presumes that there is no energy lost to non-conservative forces (like friction).

Therefore, the best answer is indeed:

They are equal half-way between the top position and the bottom position.