A student drops a ball three different times.

Question

The table shows the ball’s kinetic energy upon hitting the ground from different heights.

Height of Drop (meters):
1.0
1.5
2.0

Kinetic energy (joules):
48
72
96

The student claims that a ball dropped 3.0 meters would have fewer than 96 joules of kinetic energy upon hitting the ground. Is she correct? Why?

options:

A). She is right! The higher the drop, the less kinetic energy the ball will have upon hitting the ground.

B). She is right! The higher the drop, the greater kinetic the ball will have upon hitting the ground.

C). She is wrong. The higher the drop, the more kinetic energy the ball will have upon hitting the ground.

D). She is wrong. The higher the drop, the less kinetic the ball will have upon hitting the ground.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

C). She is wrong. The higher the drop, the more kinetic energy the ball will have upon hitting the ground.

The data provided indicates that as the height of the drop increases, the kinetic energy upon hitting the ground also increases. From the values in the table, we can see that the kinetic energy at 1.0 meters is 48 joules, at 1.5 meters is 72 joules, and at 2.0 meters is 96 joules. This suggests a direct relationship: the higher the drop, the greater the kinetic energy. According to the kinetic energy formula \( KE = mgh \) (where \( m \) is mass, \( g \) is acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is height), a greater height results in greater kinetic energy upon impact. Therefore, a drop from 3.0 meters would increase the kinetic energy beyond 96 joules, making the student's claim incorrect.