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

Question

Responses

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

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

Answer 1

The correct response is:

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

This is because gravitational potential energy (PE) is calculated as \( PE = mgh \) and kinetic energy (KE) is calculated as \( KE = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 \). When you set these two expressions equal to each other to apply the conservation of energy principle (assuming no energy is lost), the mass \( m \) cancels out, leading to a relation that is independent of mass.