Final answer:
The boy at the top of the slide has more potential energy due to his greater height above ground level. As he descends, this potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy. At the bottom, the potential energy is zero.
Step-by-step explanation:
The boy at the top of the slide has more potential energy because potential energy is related to an object's height above the ground in a gravitational field.
According to the formula for gravitational potential energy, PE = mgh (mass times gravitational acceleration times height), the potential energy is highest at the greatest height. Therefore, the boy has more potential energy at the top of the slide compared to the bottom.
When the boy jumps down and is 1m from the ground, his potential energy is less than at the top of the slide but greater than zero. When he lands on the ground, his potential energy is at its minimum, which is zero, assuming the reference level for potential energy is set at ground level.
As the boy descends, his potential energy decreases and is converted into kinetic energy, which increases as he moves downward.
During the descent, the total change in the climber's potential energy, which is the difference between potential energy at the top and the bottom, is equal to the climber's weight multiplied by the height difference between the two points. For a child weighing 300 N on a 3 m high slide, this would equate to a potential energy of 900 Joules at the top of the slide.
Understanding these energy transformations helps explain the motions of objects, like the can in the ramp example, where rotational kinetic energy and translational kinetic energy come into play, leading to different outcomes depending on whether an object rolls or slides down.