To determine the relationship between the potential energy of the truck and the total mass of the weighted truck, we can use the formula for gravitational potential energy:
\[ PE = m \cdot g \cdot h \]
where:
- \( PE \) is the potential energy,
- \( m \) is the mass (in kilograms),
- \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.8 , \text{m/s}^2 \)), and
- \( h \) is the height (in meters).
In this scenario, Gerald releases the truck from a height of 0.30 meters, which remains constant for each test. Therefore, the potential energy will depend directly on the mass of the truck:
\[ PE = m \cdot (9.8 , \text{m/s}^2) \cdot 0.30 \]
This implies that the potential energy is directly proportional to the mass of the truck. If we plot this relationship with mass on the x-axis and potential energy on the y-axis, we would see a straight line starting from the origin (0,0) and increasing linearly as mass increases.
Thus, the graph that best shows this relationship will be a straight line with a positive slope that starts at the origin (0,0).
If you have graphs to choose from, look for the one that depicts this linear relationship.
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