Question

A player throws a baseball straight up so that the ball rises and then falls back down to the player’s hand. Which of the following changes will occur if the player throws the ball up higher and then catches it?(1 point)
Responses

The ball will have greater kinetic energy at the top of its path.
The ball will have greater kinetic energy at the top of its path.

The ball will have more kinetic energy than potential energy when it is half-way back down to the player’s hand.
The ball will have more kinetic energy than potential energy when it is half-way back down to the player’s hand.

The ball will have more potential energy than kinetic energy when it is half-way back down to the player’s hand.
The ball will have more potential energy than kinetic energy when it is half-way back down to the player’s hand.

The ball will have greater potential energy at the top of its path.

Answer 1

The ball will have greater potential energy at the top of its path.

Explanation: gravitational potential energy = mgh so raising the top height increases PE. At the top the speed is zero so KE = 0 regardless of height. (At the halfway point between top and hand KE and PE are equal by energy conservation, so neither of the other two statements is correct.)