Final answer:
The starting height of an object affects its energy by determining the amount of gravitational potential energy which increases with height. As the object falls, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, maintaining the total mechanical energy constant.
Step-by-step explanation:
The starting height of an object significantly affects its energy due to the relationship between height and gravitational potential energy (PE). To explain this relationship, consider an object being lifted off the ground; work is done on it, which increases its PE. Moreover, the mechanical energy, E, which is the sum of kinetic (KE) and potential energy, remains constant in the absence of non-conservative forces like friction. As the object falls, its potential energy converts into kinetic energy, with its total mechanical energy (E) remaining constant.
This can also be demonstrated with the case of a marble going down a pipe; if the pipe is held higher off the table, the marble has more gravitational potential energy at the start and consequently higher kinetic energy and velocity upon exit, indicating that the total mechanical energy depends on the height above the ground.
Therefore, the result is that at a greater height, there is maximum potential energy, which diminishes as the object falls, being converted into kinetic energy until it reaches the maximum at ground level, where potential energy is zero. The idea is that the higher the starting position, the greater the potential energy, and the more energy available to convert into kinetic energy as the object falls.