Final answer:
To find the speed of the car when it reaches the bottom of the hill, we can use the principle of conservation of energy. The correct answer is A) 17.32 m/s.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the speed of the car when it reaches the bottom of the hill, we can use the principle of conservation of energy. At the top of the hill, the car has potential energy given by the equation PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the car, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the hill. At the bottom of the hill, all the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, given by the equation KE = 1/2mv^2, where v is the speed of the car.
Setting these two equations equal to each other, we have mgh = 1/2mv^2. We can cancel out the mass of the car from both sides of the equation, giving gh = 1/2v^2. Solving for v, we get v = sqrt(2gh).
Plugging in the values for g (approximately 9.8 m/s^2) and h (15 m), we can calculate v to be approximately 17.32 m/s. Therefore, the correct answer is A) 17.32 m/s.