Seema knows the mass of a basketball. What other information is needed to find the ball’s potential energy?

the volume and height the ball reaches
the volume and shape of the ball
acceleration due to gravity and the height the ball reaches
acceleration due to gravity and the shape of the ball

1 answer

To find the potential energy of the basketball, you need to know the formula for gravitational potential energy, which is given by:

\[ PE = mgh \]

where:

  • \( PE \) is the potential energy,
  • \( m \) is the mass of the object (in this case, the basketball),
  • \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \) on Earth), and
  • \( h \) is the height above a reference point.

Therefore, the information needed in addition to the mass of the basketball is the acceleration due to gravity and the height the ball reaches.

So the correct answer is: acceleration due to gravity and the height the ball reaches.