A ball falls from a shelf. Assuming there is no friction, why is the conservation of mechanical energy independent of mass?(1 point)
Responses

The mass of the ball is insignificant compared with the mass of Earth.
The mass of the ball is insignificant compared with the mass of Earth.

Mass is eliminated when equating gravitational potential energy with kinetic energy.
Mass is eliminated when equating gravitational potential energy with kinetic energy.

Mass is eliminated when equating elastic potential energy with kinetic energy.
Mass is eliminated when equating elastic potential energy with kinetic energy.

The displacement of the ball is insignificant compared with Earth's size.
The displacement of the ball is insignificant compared with Earth's size.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Mass is eliminated when equating gravitational potential energy with kinetic energy.

Reason: With no friction, mgh = 1/2 mv^2, and the mass m cancels, giving v = sqrt(2gh). Hence the result (and energy conservation here) is independent of the ball's mass.