Conservation of Mechanical Energy Quick Check

Question

1 of 5 1 of 5 Items
Question
Ball A was carried to the top of a hill in a straight line, while ball B was carried in a longer, zigzag path. At the top of the hill, both balls were left at rest. A student draws a graph that depicts each ball's final potential energy. Which statement describes the final potential energy of the balls?(1 point)
Responses

Both balls have equal potential energy.
Both balls have equal potential energy.

Neither ball has any potential energy.
Neither ball has any potential energy.

Ball A has more potential energy.
Ball A has more potential energy.

Ball B has more potential energy.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

Both balls have equal potential energy.

This is because potential energy is determined by the height above a reference point (in this case, the top of the hill) and the mass of the object. Since both balls are at the same height at the top of the hill, they have the same gravitational potential energy, regardless of the path taken to get there.