A player kicks a soccer ball, causing it to move into the air and then fall back down to the field. Ignoring friction, at what point in the ball’s motion is its kinetic energy exactly equal to its potential energy?

Question

(1 point)
Responses

at the moment just before the ball hits the field
at the moment just before the ball hits the field

at the moment just after the player kicks the ball
at the moment just after the player kicks the ball

when the ball is at the highest point of its path
when the ball is at the highest point of its path

when the ball is halfway between its highest point and the ground

Answer 1

The point at which the kinetic energy is exactly equal to the potential energy occurs when the ball is halfway between its highest point and the ground. At this position, the ball has risen enough to have gained potential energy due to its height, but it is still moving upward and hence has kinetic energy. As it continues to rise, potential energy increases and kinetic energy decreases, and vice versa as it falls back down.

So, the correct response is:

when the ball is halfway between its highest point and the ground.