Question

At the top of a hill, a 1 kg sphere has a potential energy of 5 J. What is the ball's potential energy halfway down the hill?

1) 0 J
2) 3 J
3) 2.5 J
4) 5 J

Answer 1

In Physics, the potential energy of the sphere halfway down the hill is 2.5 J, given the initial potential energy was 5 J at the top.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question is Physics, at the High School level. When a 1 kg sphere at the top of a hill has a potential energy of 5 J, its potential energy halfway down the hill would be half of that, assuming we are only considering the vertical position relative to the ground and no other energy transfers such as work done by forces or loss due to friction.

Thus, the potential energy halfway down would be 2.5 J, since gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the height above the reference point (which is usually ground level). If the sphere is halfway down, it is at half the height, leading to half the initial potential energy.