Question

A gymnast falls from a height onto a trampoline. For a moment, both the gymnast’s kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy are zero. How is the gymnast’s mechanical energy stored for that moment?1) rest energy2) chemical energy3) elastic energy4) thermal energy

Answer 1

3) elastic energy

Step-by-step explanation

When the gymnast reaches the trampolin, both the gymnast and the trampolin move down because of the elasticity of the trampolin, until the trampolin is at its maximum point of which it can stretch. At this point the gravitational energy of the gymnast is zero because of zero height and its kinetic energy is zero too, because of zero energy. Therefore all the energy is stored as elastic energy.