Use the diagram to answer the question.

The water in the dam is stored at the top. This stored water flows into the turbine, causing it to rotate. The turbine, in turn, rotates the shaft of a generator that produces electricity.

The turbines can be seen inside this hydroelectric dam. Why are they located at that particular height?

(1 point)
Responses

There is a large drop, so the water will have a lot of potential energy to transfer to the turbine.
There is a large drop, so the water will have a lot of potential energy to transfer to the turbine.

There is a large drop, so the water will have a lot of kinetic energy to transfer to the turbine.
There is a large drop, so the water will have a lot of kinetic energy to transfer to the turbine.

There is a small drop, so the water will still have a lot of potential energy to transfer to the turbine.
There is a small drop, so the water will still have a lot of potential energy to transfer to the turbine.

There is a small drop, so the water will still have a lot of kinetic energy to transfer to the turbine.

1 answer

The correct response is:

There is a large drop, so the water will have a lot of potential energy to transfer to the turbine.

This is because the potential energy of the stored water is maximized at the height of the dam, allowing it to convert that energy into kinetic energy as it flows down to the turbine, which then generates electricity.