Final answer:
The correct forms of energy for each description are: a. POTENTIAL energy, b. MECHANICAL energy, and c. KINETIC energy, based on their dependencies on an object's mass, position (height), and speed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The descriptions provided relate to different forms of energy associated with an object. For the descriptions provided:
- a. depends on the object's mass & position (height) - The correct term is POTENTIAL energy, because gravitational potential energy depends on the object's mass and its height within a gravitational field.
- b. depends on an object's motion (speed) and position (height) - This description relates to MECHANICAL energy, as mechanical energy is the sum of an object's kinetic and potential energy.
- c. depends on an object's mass and speed - The suitable term for this is KINETIC energy, because kinetic energy depends on the mass of the object and the square of its speed.
The Law of Conservation of Energy and the Law of Conservation of Mechanical Energy are essential for understanding that energy can transform between potential and kinetic forms without a net loss in an isolated system.