Question

A 0.5 kg sphere at the top of an incline has a potential energy of 6 J relative to the base of the incline. Rolling halfway down the incline will cause the sphere's potential energy to be:

1) 12 J
2) 6 J
3) 3 J
4) 0 J

Answer 1

The potential energy of a 0.5 kg sphere halfway down an incline is 3 J, which is half of its initial potential energy at the top.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a 0.5 kg sphere at the top of an incline has a potential energy of 6 J relative to the base of the incline, then rolling halfway down the incline will cause the sphere's potential energy to be 3 J. This is because potential energy is directly proportional to the height above the reference point (in this case, the base of the incline). Therefore, if the sphere has descended to halfway down the incline, it has lost half of its initial height and consequently should have half of its initial potential energy. The correct answer is 3) 3 J.