This image of a roller coaster is designed to show important information about potential and kinetic energy. One of these labeled pieces of information is incorrect. Which information is wrong, and why?

Question

(1 point)
Responses

The roller coaster would only have kinetic energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”
The roller coaster would only have kinetic energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”

The spot marked “maximum gravitational potential energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.
The spot marked “maximum gravitational potential energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.

The spot with the “maximum kinetic energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.
The spot with the “maximum kinetic energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.

The roller coaster would only have potential energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”
The roller coaster would only have potential energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”

Answer 1

The incorrect information is:

The roller coaster would only have kinetic energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”

This statement is wrong because at that particular point, the roller coaster has both kinetic energy (due to its motion) and gravitational potential energy (due to its height relative to the lowest point). Therefore, it is not correct to say it has only kinetic energy at that point. In fact, the roller coaster typically has a combination of both types of energy at various points along the track. The potential energy is highest at the highest points of the track, while kinetic energy is maximized at the lowest point of the track.